Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Deep in the forest near the town of Dalmary, there was a sunlit clearing where birdsong filtered through the softly waving trees and a small brook chattered quietly as it wound its way along the edge of the trees. While many wildflowers bloomed here, there were many animal trails that cut through the foliage. At the creek’s edge, many large smooth stones absorbed the plentiful sunlight.

It was here, in this clearing, on the sun-soaked stones, that I, a small fairy girl, lay, dying. Not that it wasn’t my own fault. Ever since I’d seen the charred remains of my childhood home when I went to check on it around twenty years ago, I’d been taking worse and worse care of myself. I’d been eating less and drinking less. I had also been rarely moving, and most of what I did with my time was either sleep (during which time I would have depressing dreams - ones filled not with my home burning, but of my time with the people who had lived there) or laying around staring into the abyss. My only remaining friend, Zephyranthes the fox shade, had been desperately trying to help me and to convince me to live, but it can be difficult to save someone from themself.

Zinnia, the voice was not a sound heard by my ears, but was resounding directly in my mind - Zephyranthes. Please, I beg of you: don’t let yourself die. At least get up and move. You’ve been laying here so long that your limbs are weak from disuse.

I slowly cracked open my gummy eyes to see the form of a pitch black fox sitting across the creek from where I lay. His pure white eyes, which were looking directly at me, slowly blinked before he stood and nimbly hopped across the water and approached. He melded into my shadow as though to be as close to me as possible. “Fine…” My voice cracked when I spoke and my throat felt like a desert. “You win, Zephyr. We can go on a walk, but only because I’m getting tired of you saying that almost every day.”

Pressing my small hand to the warm stone, I attempted to lift myself from the ground, only to stumble before correcting myself. My long, dark red hair fell into my face as my large wings, which were nearly transparent but held splotches of different colors that made them look like stained glass, opened up from the uncomfortable position they had been in while pressed to the ground. My deep green eyes were dull as I lifted my dark green cloak off the stone from where I had been laying on it.

“I wonder how far we’ll go,” I huffed as I covered my once-white-and-green dress with the cloak. I was tired just from the motion of standing. “I won’t come back here, though; there’d be no point. And if we’re going far, then there’s a chance that we’ll encounter humans. Perhaps I should hide these.” I glanced over my shoulder to take in the sight of my wings, which were now poking through slits that were hidden in the folds of my cloak. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated on another form. Soon, my small, child-like body disappeared in a cloud of smoke, to be replaced by one of a young woman. I was now much taller, though my chest had not grown much even though I appeared to be older. My eyes were still green, but my near waist-length hair was now almost completely white - only the single streak of red that framed the right side of my face remained from the previous color. “There. With this, no one will know that I’m a fairy.”

You’re still weak, Zephyr reappeared from his place in my shadow before I could move. One moment, I’ll be right back. His paws made almost no sound as he disappeared into the forest.

I had almost decided to lie back down by the time Zephyranthes returned with a long branch clutched in his jaws. Here, the voice resounded in my head as he gently placed the branch on the ground at my feet. Use this to help you walk. You shouldn’t be flying in your condition; you could fall to the ground.

When I bent over to retrieve the stick, weakness swept over my body, causing me to almost collapse. Once I had managed to pick up the newly-found walking stick and had made sure that it would hold up against my weight, Zephyr slid silently back into my shadow.

“Okay, time to get going,” I murmured as I took my first wobbly step.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A little ways from that clearing in the forest, a giant pig was making its way through a more sparsely-wooded area. An oddly shaped building balanced atop its back with a sign that proclaimed it to be the Boar's Hat. A brunette giantess wearing a short-sleeved one-piece orange suit walked alongside the pig, occasionally looking into the windows of the building. Inside, a skimpily-dressed, silver-haired girl conversed with a short blond boy, and a tall man with spiky light blue hair and wearing red, metal-studded leather clothing sat on a barstool slumped against the bar, asleep.

During one of the times that the giantess looked away from the window, she noticed that there appeared to be something in the middle of the path a good ways in front of them. Whatever it was, it was far enough away that all it looked like was an oddly-shaped, dark green lump on the ground with a shadow looming over it. Deciding to investigate, she increased her pace, only for the shadow to disappear before she could take two steps. Not thinking much of it - for there was no feeling of magic from the disappearance - the giantess stood over the figure, which appeared to be a green blob, and crouched down to gently touch it. It was slightly fuzzy, and warm to the touch. Furrowing her brows, she pinched the smallest amount of the fuzziness that she could and lifted it, revealing the face of a girl.

“Elizabeth-chan!” the giantess gasped loudly.

The silver-haired girl that had been speaking inside now cracked open the door and stepped from the deck in front of the building onto the giant pig itself, which had stopped walking due to the giant girl being in front of it. “What is it Diane-sama? Is something wrong?” the girl asked, curious.

The giantess - Diane - gave the girl a really confused look. “Elizabeth-chan? I know that you were inside, but…” She looked back to the girl that was mostly covered by a green cloak before picking her up and bringing the mysterious figure close to her face in order to be more closely examined.

“Oh, my!” Elizabeth exclaimed. The boy she had been talking to before now exited the building behind her, but the other man was still inside and asleep. “Is she okay? She wasn’t stepped on, was she?” She clasped her hands in front of her chest when she asked this.

Diane squinted in an attempt to better look at the girl before responding. “No, she wasn’t… She was just laying there. But her face… You see this, right?” She then held her hands out to the two that were standing atop the pig, revealing an unconscious girl. She had white hair with a red streak in it towards the front, pale milky skin, and she wore a torn dress that ended around her knees and that appeared to have once been light green and white. And it wasn’t only her clothes that were torn; her skin was covered in scratches and bruises, and she looked extremely malnourished. But that wasn’t what had surprised Diane. Her face looked almost exactly like that of Elizabeth.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The Boar's Hat

Where am I?

The last thing that I remembered was losing my walking stick to a particularly sticky mud puddle and then walking through an opening in the trees. The next thing I knew I was here. Not that I knew where ‘here’ was. I had yet to open my eyes, so all I knew was that I was laying on something that was very soft, I had a covering over me (Was I in a bed perhaps? I hadn’t slept in one in so long that I had forgotten what it felt like), and the air was now still due to the lack of a breeze. Also, I was still in my human form.

Stop pretending to sleep, Zinnia. I know you’re awake. There are some people here that you should thank. I didn’t respond to the fox directly - if there were others around, I didn’t want them to hear me - but instead slowly opened my eyes. The shadows of a darkened bedroom greeted my vision. No one else was there. Hoping that no one was listening from the door, I muttered under my breath, “Where are we Zephyr? What happened?”

You collapsed from fatigue. Luckily, the people here found you and took you in. Zephyranthes sounded impatient. Hurry up and go downstairs; they’re worried about you. I could almost here him blaming me for collapsing, not that it would be misplaced blame.

Sighing, I slowly sat up so as to not overexert myself.

“Oh, you’re awake!” My gaze darted immediately to the door to see that a girl with long silver hair and wearing a small pink shirt and a purple mini-skirt had just opened it and was now halfway inside the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Eliz-” I coughed, cutting myself off. It couldn’t be the Elizabeth I knew, who had died so long ago. Instead, I opted to answer her question. “I’m feeling a little better.” That was a bit of a lie. “But where am I? The last thing I remember is wandering through the forest.”

“This is the Boar’s Hat. It’s a tavern. Diane-sama found you in front of the tavern a few days ago and we brought you inside.”

“Diane...?” I didn’t know who she was talking about, but that wasn’t what worried me. I’ve been unconscious for a few days? “I’m sorry for imposing on you for so long. I’ll just leave now-”

I had tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness had engulfed me and I started to fall forward, only to feel myself being caught before hitting the ground. “Woah there, we don’t want you knocking yourself unconscious right after finally waking up, do we?” That was a new voice, but I knew that I had heard it before. I felt myself being pushed back onto the bed. “And I also can’t have my valued guest leaving in such a stated, now can I?”

After allowing the darkness that had clouded my vision to fade, I could see what appeared to be a short, younger-looking boy standing in front of me. He had shoulder-length blond hair, and sea-green eyes. He wore a black vest over a white long-sleeved shirt and white pants, and the green hilt of a sword peeked over his shoulder. He grinned mischievously as his hands fell back to his sides.

Meliodas? This time I made sure not to say it aloud. It would make sense to see Elizabeth and Meliodas together, but it’s been so long. I thought they were dead. They should at least look a little older… Also, Elizabeth looks different from before. What’s going on?

“Thank you. And thank you for taking me in when I was unconscious.” I almost added on Meliodas’s name to the end of the sentence, but stopped myself in time. He hadn’t told me it yet.

“So, what is the name of this new guest of mine?” Maybe-Meliodas asked.

“Z-Zinnia.” I looked down, fearful of what he might say if he recognized my name.

“Zinnia, huh?” There was only a slight pause before the response. “Well, Zinnia-chan, I’m Meliodas, the owner of this bar, and this here-” he stepped behind Maybe-Elizabeth and wrapped his arms around her, groping her breasts in the process, “-is Elizabeth, my waitress.”

“And I’m Hawk!” came a new, high-pitched voice from the doorway. Breaking my gaze from Meliodas’s perverted action, I saw a pig standing in the doorway. Was it the pig that spoke? Or is there someone on the other side of the wall messing with me? My silent question was answered when the pig opened its mouth. “Downstairs is Ban, and Diane is outside! You should thank her; she’s the one that found you.”

“So I’ve heard...” was all I could manage to say. This was all too much for me. First, two figures from my past came back to haunt me, and now there was a talking pig. I turned back to Meliodas, who had finally unlatched himself from a blushing Elizabeth. “Elizabeth-san said that this is the Boar’s hat, but where is that exactly? What town are we in?”

“Hmmm…” Meliodas put his hand to his chin in thought. “The town we’re currently at isn’t really known for its name, so you probably wouldn’t know it…” He then put one finger in the air. “What it’s known for, though, is being near the Capital of the Dead.”

“Necropolis?!” Could they be here because they’re ghosts?

“Some people call it that.”

“We heard that one of our friends might be nearby, so we decided to come here,” added Elizabeth helpfully.

Soooo… NOT ghosts… It was at that moment that a delicious scent wafted into the room. My stomach growled loudly, and I clutched it in pain. How long had it been since I last had food?

Sympathy seemed to shine in Elizabeth’s eyes as she gave a small smile. “I’ll bring some food up.”

“No-” I interrupted her as she was making her way to the door. Slowly putting my weight on my feet, I tried to stand again - this time successfully. “I would like to go and get it for myself, if you don’t mind. It would be nice to be able to stretch my legs after lying down for so long.” Though that was not my real reason - if it was, I wouldn’t have collapsed in the first place, as I wouldn’t have been lying still for who knows how long - but I wanted to see where I was. Zephyranthes had said something about going downstairs, so I assumed that I wasn’t on the first floor of whatever building I was in. Going down stairs was not going to be a pleasant experience in my current state.

“Okay, then. I’ll go tell Ban-sama that you are coming.” She continued on her path through the door, and the pig - Hawk - followed her while saying something about leftovers. After a moment I could hear the sounds of footsteps going down stairs and fading into quiet.

As I started to take a few shaky steps towards the door, I noticed Meliodas - who was still in the room - eyeing me curiously. He looked like he wanted to ask a question, but if he did, he refrained. He then nodded, as though to confirm something to himself, and followed after Elizabeth.

“You sure are being quiet, Zephyr,” I whispered as I reached the door.

Well, if those are really the Meliodas and Elizabeth we knew, there was a chance that at least Meliodas would have heard me. You know how he always seemed to know when I was talking to you.

“Oh yeah. We’ll just have to be careful, then.” But should I be hiding my identity from them? Even if they don’t recognize me right now, they were my friends… I know that I was told to not let anyone from that time find me, but-

My thoughts were interrupted when I realized that I had reached the top of the stairs.

Good luck.

I didn’t even last one step. I had placed my foot on the first stair, lost my balance, and started tumbling uncontrollably down. The only thing that stopped me was that the stairs turned towards the bottom, so I fell into the wall at the top of the bottom two steps. Lifting my head, I gazed blearily around the room I had just entered. As Elizabeth had said, it was a bar. There were a few round tables scattered around the room, each with a few chairs around it. To my left was the bar itself, and a collection of bar stools were pulled up. To my right was the door that led to what I presumed to be outside. Meliodas, Elizabeth, and a man that I assumed to be Ban were gathered around a table at the far side of the room. Ban had spiky light blue hair, and was wearing clothing made of red leather and covered in metal studs. He was surprisingly tall, and made Meliodas look puny in comparison. Considering that my fairy form was shorter than Meliodas, I wondered just how short I would look next to Ban.

Elizabeth was giving me a worried look when Ban sauntered over to me, easily picked me up by the fabric of my cloak and dress (which made a distressing ripping sound from the action) with one arm, and placed me down in the middle of the room. I couldn’t even fight him. At least that saves me from falling down the last two steps. I was relieved until I noticed that Ban was scrutinizing me.

“Hm.” He walked a slow circle around me, his shoulders hunched and his crimson eyes inspecting me up and down. His saunter made him look like an animal inspecting its prey. “You’re right Cap’n; she really does look like Elizabeth.”

It had been so long since I’d been around Meliodas and Elizabeth that I’d completely forgotten that I had made my human form look like the girl. I had thought that she was really pretty when I was younger, so when I’d thought that I would never see her again, I made myself look like her, thinking no one would be around to notice.

“Yep! The hint to telling the difference between the two is that her boobs are smaller than Elizabeth’s!” Meliodas explained, much to my embarrassment. I was certain that my face must have been beet-red at this point.

“That’s not the only difference!” I hadn’t noticed Hawk, who had been around the other side of the table.

“Umm… Hi, I’m Zinnia. I heard that your name is Ban-san…?” I was pretty certain at this point, but I didn’t know what else to say in this situation. Perhaps if I ignored Meliodas’s perverted remarks, they would go away.

The taller man stood up at this, making the difference in height more pronounced. “Then you heard right.” He didn’t say anything else after that.

Did he have a problem with me? Also, didn’t they say something about food? I didn’t see any anywhere, though I still smelled it. Feeling awkward, I glanced around the room, trying to get a better sense of my surroundings. It was the wanted board by the door that caught my eye, as it hadn’t been visible when I had looked around from the stairs. On the board were seven posters, each with a different name on it. Escanor, Merlin, Gowther, King, Ban, Diane, and Meliodas.

Meliodas, Ban, and Diane? Are those supposed to be the people here? But that doesn’t look like Meliodas at all. And why would they tell me their names if they’re wanted? I have to ask this now, or else it’ll just get awkward if I ask later… “Hey, is that supposed to be you guys?” I vaguely gestured towards the board.

A sharp intake of breath could be heard from Hawk, but before he could say anything, Meliodas cut him off. “Sure is! We’re the infamous Seven Deadly Sins! Are you scared now?” He put his hands up in the air in front of himself in a mock-ferocious gesture and used a very joking tone for this.

“Meliodas-sama!” Elizabeth seemed surprised that he’d share this information so easily.

“Hmmm… Even if you say that, all you guys have done is help me and be generally nice to me. I have yet to meet Diane-sama, but she’s the one that saved me. Not to mention the fact that I’ve never heard of the Seven Deadly Sins. I don’t even know what you guys did wrong, so no, I’m not scared.” I walked up to the group and sat down at the table that they were surrounding. Maybe if I sat there long enough, they’d remember that I was starving.

“Never heard of us?” Meliodas gasped. He was acting offended, but it was quite obvious that we wasn’t.

It was then that my stomach decided to chip in to the conversation with a growl. This caused me to blush lightly, but at least it stopped me from having to verbally remind them that they promised me food.

“Oh yeah! I’m so sorry, Zinnia-san, I completely forgot. There’s still some food in the kitchen, I’ll go get it.” Elizabeth disappeared behind the bar, leaving me with nothing to say around the two men. Luckily, that silence only lasted a moment before Elizabeth returned with a steaming meat pie. “Here you go! Ban-sama cooked it while you were asleep.” She placed it in front of me at the table.

I turned to Ban and smiled. “Thank you Ban-san!”

His only response was to turn away and say something about making one for everyone anyways, but I wasn’t paying attention; I hadn’t had food in so long and the scent was driving me crazy. “Thank you for the food!” I announced to the group in general before digging in.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Of Meals and Missing Friends

It turned out that Diane was a giant. I met her for a moment before Ban disappeared and, after realizing that they weren’t going to get any business anytime soon, the group decided to go look for him. I had wanted to join them, but I would have only held them back and they told me to stay here with Hawk and Elizabeth. Ban had even cooked up some more food for me before they left, as the group as a whole decided that I needed more meat on my bones. They were not wrong.

Oh, how I wish that Hawk-chan and Elizabeth-san weren’t here, I thought as I took a bite of mashed potatoes. Then Zephyr could come out and we could talk. I mean, he could talk to me right now, but I couldn’t respond…

Hawk was drooling all over the floor (and a little on the table) as he stared at the food that covered the table in front of me. I would have gladly given him some, but Meliodas had strictly told me not to, and to eat as much of it as I could. I had a feeling that he would know if I went against his orders. Not to mention the fact that the other girl was sitting directly across from me. She was smiling as she watched me eat, and was politely refraining from asking the questions that I knew she had.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. This near-silence was unbearable. I had to hear my friend’s voice. Shoveling another bite into my mouth - this food was delicious, I needed to thank Ban again - I started tapping my fingers on the hardwood surface.

Tap… tap tap tap… tap tap… tap… tap tap…

I felt a little shiver in the air around me as response. I’m still here, Zinnia. I was just exploring the area through the shadows. Did you know that this entire building is on top of a giant boar that has burrowed its way underground? I nearly choked on my food at this. Hawk didn’t seem to notice, but instead stared at my plate hopefully, as though there was a chance of me knocking it off the table. Elizabeth stood as though to help me, but I swiftly took a drink from the water they had given me and followed it with a another spoonful of potatoes, causing her to slowly sit back down with a slightly worried expression. Sorry, I didn’t realize that would startle you like that. But anyways, I’m trying to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary - not that I know what ordinary is for around here. The voice paused for a moment before continuing in a more hesitant tone. I’m sorry to ask this of you, but would it be possible for you to try to sneak some of that food to me at some point? I haven’t eaten since you were brought here; if I had left I would’ve had no way of knowing if they moved you.

After taking another bite - this one of chicken - I slowly nodded as though savoring the food. But Zephyr knew what the small signal meant, and he sighed in response. They’re back. I’m gonna be quiet for now. Just know that I’m still here. The voice faded away, but the fox’s slight presence remained as the door to the tavern slammed open.

“Yo, Elizabeth! We’re back!” Meliodas sauntered through the entryway, Ban and two small children in tow. He glanced at the table to see that a large pile of food still remained, even though my plate and been filled and mostly emptied. “Perfect, Zinnia-chan didn’t eat it all, so there’s still food left.” What, had he expected me to eat this entire pile? There was enough food here for five people. Plus, my stomach had shrunk after going for so long without food. I’d only been able to finish half a plate’s worth of food. “Here you go.” He gestured for the kids to sit down next to me. “Go ahead and eat.”

The two kids plopped into their seats and swiftly filled up plates. They looked almost as starved as me. Ban sat down across from them and leaned over the table.

I barely registered Meliodas saying something about any food not eaten going to the pig before my head almost fell into my half-empty plate. I just barely managed to catch myself. I guess that eating so much food had made me drowsy. It had been the first full meal I had had in years, after all. This must have been my exhaustion catching up to me. I guess that just sleeping for a few days straight wasn’t enough to catch me up on rest.

Pushing myself from the table, I attempted to tell them that I was going back to bed, but all that came out was a slur, before I felt myself falling and everything went black.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Well that didn’t last long.”

Meliodas had managed to catch the girl’s body before it hit the ground. Ban hadn’t even bothered, and Elizabeth hadn’t been fast enough. “How many times am I going to have to catch you?” He looked at her face only to realize that she was asleep. Her face looked so like Elizabeth’s, it was a wonder that they weren’t related. An idea started to form in his mind, and he lifted her off the ground. “Hup!”

“What are you doin’ Cap’n~?” Ban gave the small man a slightly curious look. His elbow was propped on the table, and in turn his head was resting in his palm. He had been watching the children eat - as he planned to question them afterward - but he looked away to ask Meliodas this.

“Well we can’t just let her sleep on the floor down here with the swine.”

“Hey!” Hawk’s indignant cry went ignored.

“I’m going to return her to bed, then I’m going to search for her new uniform. We can’t leave her in tattered rags of clothing forever, can we?”

“But Meliodas-sama, a uniform?” Elizabeth sounded worried at the idea. “Surely you can’t be planning on having her work here? She’s too weak right now.”

“Maybe now she is, but she’ll get better soon enough. And she needs to pay off the debt she owes us for helping her so much.” A mischievous smile played across his lips. “I was thinking that having a twin act should boost business in here.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Ugghhh… Is this just going to keep happening?” I gently put my hand to my forehead, expecting a bruise. Nothing. “Huh, guess someone caught me.” Slowly sitting up in the comfy bed that I found myself in, I looked around only to see that I was back in the same room that I had previously woken up in. Whose room is this anyways? I feel sorry for taking up their space for so long. That was when I felt an unexpected chill on my upper arms.

My dress usually covered that spot. I was wearing different clothes. They were the same clothes that Elizabeth had been wearing, only in my size. Was this a uniform of some kind? I had just assumed that it was what she had liked to wear. I guess that it was probably what the barmaids here normally wore. But wait… I wasn’t a barmaid. Why was I wearing this? What happened to my clothes? Where was my cloak? I didn’t want to lose either, but it was exceedingly important to me that I still have my cloak. Luckily I didn’t even have to get up to see that my cloak was folded neatly at the foot of the bed. But my dress was nowhere in sight. I hoped they hadn’t gotten rid of it - it had been a gift from a precious friend.

While I was a fairy, and fairies were naturally able to make clothes that fit them (like how they can transform and change the clothes in the process), I was never quite able to get the hang of creating clothes. A good friend of mine had felt bad for me and made some for me. I had been able to keep the dress in usable condition for many, many years, and wanted to never lose it. It was very important to me because my friend couldn’t make me a new one seeing as how they was most probably dead by now.

But I couldn’t stress about that now; I needed to look for them. And hopefully in the process I could find the answer as to why I was in new clothing, and who changed me into them while I was asleep. I just hoped it was Elizabeth, rather than Meliodas. It was definitely not Ban.

Turning my body, I placed my feet on the floor and slowly stood up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that hard. I had expected to take longer to heal than this. What does Ban-san put in his cooking? I had wrapped my pine-colored cloak tightly around my body, as this outfit was just a bit too revealing for my tastes. Only after I stood up did I notice the note on the end table beside the bed. It was covered in fine, smooth handwriting.

‘Zinnia-san~

We have all gone to search for Necropolis. I’m sorry for leaving you at the tavern by yourself, so please be safe.

I hope you don’t mind, but I changed you into the bar’s uniform while you were asleep. Meliodas-sama said that you are going to have to work off your debt here. Your old clothes are in the drawer under this note.

~Elizabeth’

Sure enough, my dress was in the drawer, rips, dirt, and all. My old shoes were also in there too, though now that I wasn’t wearing them, it became obvious that almost no soles remained on them. I didn’t know where to put the shredded fabric, so they remained in the end table for now. Feeling the cold floor through the socks that I had been given, I decided to slip on the new, mismatched shoes that had been placed next to the bed before checking to make sure that I was truly alone.

“Elizabeth-san?” No response. Just had to make sure. “...Hawk-chan?” Silence.

Well, then if I was actually as alone as I thought, then I had one more name to call. “Zephyranthes?” This call was not so much a shout as it was a whisper. It never seemed to matter how loud I called him, the fox shade always came. Until now. I had expected an immediate reaction. There was usually a slight chill when I felt him enter my shadow, but it didn’t come. No voice resounded in my head. “Zephyr?” Even though I was louder this time, there was still no response.

This was worrying. Where is he? Zephyr never ignores me. He’s always come whenever I’ve called him, so why not now? He said that he’d been exploring, and now since he knows that I shouldn’t be leaving here anytime soon, he probably explored further while I was asleep. He tends to be very curious and enjoys exploring new places, so… My eyes darted to the note on the desk next to me, and I registered what the words in the first sentence said.

Necropolis.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It didn’t take long for the run into town to exhaust me. In fact, I was surprised that I was able to run at all right now, seeing as how I was unable to even walk without falling before. Was it because I was a fairy? I had no idea what was normal for fairies, seeing as how I didn’t spend much time in the Fairy King’s Forest before leaving, and I hadn’t seen many fairies after that, either. Perhaps there was some other reason, but I had other, more pressing matters at the moment.

Where were they? Had Zephyr really followed them into Necropolis? Was that why he wasn’t responding? I had a really bad feeling that something bad was going to happen in Necropolis. Fox shades weren’t a very strong species; they were better suited to stealth and escaping. But if he was in Necropolis, Zephyranthes wouldn’t be able to use the abilities that fox shades used to escape. They were similar to black hounds in that they could teleport themselves and those around them places, but there was a catch: the fox shade had to know the exact relation between the places they were going to and from. They had to know both the distance and the direction, which was why fox shades were always known for being good with directions and were known to never get lost.

But if they were in Necropolis, then it was unlikely that Zephyr would know the way back.

By now I could barely put one foot in front of the other, but I trudged on. My cloak hung limply across my back - I had taken just a moment to properly put it on before leaving. I couldn’t stop moving. I couldn’t let anything happen to the fox; he was my only friend and one of my last two connections to my distant past. I didn’t know what I’d do with myself if I lost him.

But where was Necropolis?

I stumbled and fell to the ground. Not again! When I looked up, I found that I had reached the edge of a barren field. Ruined and crumbling houses littered the area behind me, but there were none in front of me. In fact, the only thing in front of me was a woman that was standing completely still, her hand plunged into her own chest. I could feel magic emanating off of her, but it just didn’t feel right. Everything about the scene felt wrong, and I couldn’t bring myself to stand up and approach. Luckily, it appeared that I didn’t have to.

“Elaine!”

Suddenly there was a brightly light and six figures materialized in front of me in the field. It was the five that had left that morning, plus a new one that appeared to be a young boy, and he was floating in the air as he held a spotted green pillow in front of him. He had short, pale red hair, and sported an odd blue outfit with orange-yellow trim. It had been him who had shouted the name upon appearing.

“Looks like we’re back in the land of the living,” Meliodas observed, hands on his hips.

I stopped listening at that point. Where was Zephyr? He should have said something if he was here… I dragged myself to my feet so that I could walk over to the group, but that extra height gave me a better view of what was just past them: a pitch black heap was slumped on the ground. It seemed as though none of them had noticed it yet. The sight of my friend gave me the strength to push myself further, and I was almost running when I reached the edge of the group.

“Zinnia-chan?” It was Diane that noticed me first.

“You shouldn’t be out here-” Meliodas started, but I continued past him.

When I reached the dark huddle, I dropped to the ground and lightly placed my hands on it. It was definitely Zephyranthes. The silky smooth fur was cool, but a warmth could be felt underneath, and the fox twitched when I pressed my hand to his side. A thin white slit became visible on the side of his head, and his body relaxed as he saw that it was only me.

“Zephyr, what happened? Are you hurt?” I was speaking somewhat under my breath, as though to keep the others from hearing, but this secret of mine was pretty obvious now. The sins, along with Elizabeth, Hawk, and whoever the floating boy was, had all come to stand behind me. When they saw what I was crouched over, they went silent. Except for Ban.

“Hey~ What’s that?” Meliodas shushed him.

Zinnia, I’m sorry… The newcomer perked up. Could he hear Zephyr? I left without telling you… I was in the giant’s - Diane-sama’s - shadow… I got caught up in one of the blasts from the fight… and hit the ground… hard… I’m so tired… I’m going... to sleep now… the slit disappeared, and his voice got softer. That fairy… he’s… the voice trailed off into silence.

“Zephyr?” My voice was barely audible. I pressed my head to my friend’s chest, only to realize that there was dark blood under the fur. Swallowing down my fear, I listened for a heartbeat, only to sigh in relief immediately afterward. “He’s fine, just sleeping.”

“Will someone answer my question now?” Ban seemed pretty annoyed to have had to wait. He probably hadn’t been able to hear the fox shade speak, and had thought that we were waiting in silence. “What is that thing~?

“It’s a fox shade,” the boy - the fairy, if Zephyr was right, as I was certain he was - said before I could reply. “I had thought they were extinct, but apparently I was wrong.” He turned to me. “Who are you? How do you know this creature?” He then paused for a moment, scrutinizing my face. “And why do you have the same face as the other girl?”

“I- He’s- I-” The stress was getting me to the point that I couldn’t even speak. I didn’t even know what to say. What had Zephyr been about to say about this fairy?

Elizabeth gasped “The Holy Knight, Guila!” She had just noticed the woman at the edge of the field. The rest of the group now turned to look at the statue-like figure, but I remained obstinately with my friend.

“Now I see,” came the voice of Meliodas. “So she made herself half-dead in order to get to the Capital of the Dead.”

Hawk squealed in terror, “Which means sooner or later she’s going to wake up!”

“We should all get away!” Elizabeth had gotten as worked up as Hawk.

Ban and the fairy moved towards the woman, rather than away. “Let’s kill her while we’ve got the chance~” Ban grinned at the idea.

“How barbaric. I’ll turn her to stone.” This was the fairy. I wondered briefly how a fairy could turn someone to stone before focusing back on the fox.

“It’s the same thing~”

“What was that, Ban?!” Apparently the fairy knew Ban. Was this their companion, King? He didn’t look anything like the wanted poster, but, then again, neither did Meliodas.

“How immature.” Diane did not sound amused.

“Uh-uh!” Meliodas sounded like he’d come to a decision. “Leave her to me! After that, we can deal with this whole ‘fox shade’ business back at the Boar’s Hat.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Distrust

I had planned on carrying Zephyr the whole way back, but Meliodas stopped me and made the fairy carry the fox back on his floating pillow. The fairy didn’t seem too happy about that, but complied after a few grumbles. In fact, Meliodas was going to have him carry me on the pillow too, but I’d refused, stating that I could make it back on my own two feet.

How I regretted that decision now.

While I hadn’t wanted to annoy the newcomer anymore, I wished that I had agreed with Meliodas. We were only halfway back when I reached the point of barely being able to breath. I had forgotten that I’d had to run all the way out there, and had run out of energy just from that. At this point, I had to focus on the ground in front of me just to keep from tripping. I was breathing really hard and had almost come to a standstill far behind the rest of the group when I heard a sigh from up ahead.

“We aren’t getting anywhere like this~” I felt a strong arm lift me into the air, and I glanced upward to see Ban, who wasn’t looking at me, but at the destination. It would’ve been nice if he would’ve carried me a little more gently; he was carrying me under his arm as though I weighed nothing, and it gave almost no support. But at least it was better than walking.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So, who are you?” The fairy was questioning me as soon as Ban dropped me on the floor of the bar. Ban didn’t drop me very gently, either. Oh, and it sure would’ve been nice to know who this fairy was. It was probably the friend they were looking for - King - but I wasn’t going to make any assumptions.

“My name’s Zinnia…”

“That’s not what I mean. Who are you?” Probably-King seemed annoyed.

“I… I don’t see what you’re asking…” I knew exactly what he was asking, but I was trying to put off the moment that they found out.

“King’s asking you what you are~” Ban deadpanned (So I was right - the fairy is King). “Why do you have Elizabeth’s face; you aren’t related to her from what I can tell~”

“And how do you know a fox shade - a member of a supposedly extinct species?” King wasn’t letting up. He was hovering in the air just in front of my face. “Not to mention the fact that you even seemed to be able to hear-”

Leave her alone. Zephyr projected from his spot on King’s pillow. He had just woken up, and had started to make one of the few audible sounds that he could make: a low-pitched growl. She’s done nothing wrong. Why do you expect her to tell you everything when you’ve told her nothing?

Elizabeth, Ban, and Hawk looked confused when King stopped talking mid-sentence, but they didn’t say anything. Diane, from her spot looking in the window, looked as though she was having difficulties hearing something, and King and Meliodas were looking directly at the fox.

King glared at Zephyr, but gave a quiet sigh and turned back to me. “I’m King, the Grizzly Sin of Sloth.”

Tell her your real name, King of Fairies.

“How-?”

Perhaps I’ll tell you someday. Zephyranthes squinted his glowing eyes. Just tell her.

“Why am I listening to a fox…?” King muttered under his breath before speaking up. “My actual name is Harlequin. I’m the Fairy King, or, at least, I was , until the forest burned down.”

I sucked in a breath, and I’m sure my skin paled a few shades at this point. The Fairy King, Harlequin? I may not have been in the forest at the right time to know the current king, but I was certain that I’d heard that name before.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Zinnia!”

“Yeah?” I turned to my best friend, who was floating upside down in the air above me. I was currently in my fairy form, and I had just put on my new dress for the first time. It fit me perfectly, and I wasn’t even wearing my cloak, which lay folded on the ground nearby, so that I could admire the new outfit.

“It looks good on you.” The other fairy smiled. “Did you know that I asked the Fairy King, Harlequin, for help with that? He learned how to make clothing by watching humans. While the base was made in the same way that fairy clothes is usually made, we had to make adjustments since it wasn’t you who made it directly for your body.” They chuckled mid-story. “You should have seen it. We were making Harlequin’s sister Elaine wear it as it was being worked on, since she has the same build as you. She wasn’t very happy about it, especially since they don’t even know you.”

“I’m surprised that you even got them to go along with it!” I laughed along with them. I could just imagine it. Even if I’d never met the siblings, my friend had told me enough about them that I could easily see the whole situation.

“I think you’d get along well with Harlequin,” the other fairy commented, for about the thousandth time. “Why don’t you ever go to the Fairy King’s Forest? It’s your home too, you know, since you’re a fairy.”

“Well…” I sighed, looking away. “It’s just that-”

~ ~ ~

“Zinnia-san,” Elizabeth’s voice broke me out of my memories. “Would you please just tell us? Just to put everyone’s minds at ease.” She held her hands clasped together in front of her chest, and I could see in her eyes that she was earnest. She probably just wanted to calm everyone down and to stop King and Ban from getting so aggressive. Realizing that she wanted me to tell everyone for my own sake as well, I sighed. Well, it’s not like I was getting out of this at this point anyways…

“Fine.”

Zinnia! You don’t have to tell them.

I glanced at my companion. “No, it’s fine. I can barely remember why I was keeping it a secret anyways. Plus, if this continued any longer, I doubt they’d trust me when I finally did tell them.” I’m not going to tell them everything, though. I turned to look directly at Harlequin. “I’m a fairy.”

______________________________

(A/N)

Here's the link to the story I mentioned at the top: Time Travel? What the Fuck?

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Reveal

“I don’t believe you.” Harlequin’s voice was flat as he propped his chin on his hand.

What?! “Why not? It’s the truth!” All that trouble for this response? I couldn’t believe it. What reason could he have to not believe me?

“I’m the Fairy King. I know all the fairies, but I’ve never met you. Even if you’re in a human form, I’ve never heard your name before.” He sighed, making him seem almost bored. “If you’re just going to lie, then…” He held his hand out to the floating pillow that Zephyr was propped on.

Crap! If he’s the Fairy King, then that must be his Spirit Spear! I’ve gotta-

Truthfully, I was surprised that the transformation had lasted as long as it had. I mean, really. I had passed out multiple times, gone through the terror of seeing my best friend on the verge of death, and now this. I guess that it was just a bit too much strain. It’d been quite a few years since the last time I’d taken human form, too, so I’d been unfamiliar with it.

Suddenly, there was a poof of white smoke, and I was back in my fairy form. My forest green cloak now swallowed my small stature, and its hood covered my deep red tresses for the most part. My wings were folded to my back obediently, but the tips of them were visibly poking out from under the edges of the fabric. I could hear Elizabeth gasp from the sudden change.

“Is this proof enough?” I didn’t even uncover my face as I pretended to have transformed on purpose. “I wasn’t lying.”

Harlequin’s eyes opened wide in surprise. I guess he really didn’t believe me…

Ban suddenly grabbed the hood of my cloak and yanked it back, causing me to tense. The only reaction I saw, though, was that Meliodas froze for a second. It looked like something had clicked into place in his mind, but his usual slight smile returned immediately. Well, guess he remembered who I am. No going back now…

“That’s weird.” Harlequin floated right into my face, examining me. “You’re definitely a fairy, but I don’t know you…” He eyed my wing-tips as though trying to determine what they looked like when spread out.

“Probably because I left the forest before you were born,” I explained quietly.

“But, why were you hiding the fact that you’re a fairy?”

“I-”

She has her reasons. Zephyr cut me off. He was glaring at the Fairy King. It was obvious that he didn’t like the others prodding me so. Gently rising from the cushion, he hopped the short distance to the floor and pressed comfortingly into my side. I can tell that you’re about to ask how I come into this, but all I’m telling you is that Zinnia saved me when I was a pup and I’ve been with her ever since. Now let us rest. Ever since she saw that the Fairy King’s Forest had been burned down, she has been depriving herself of food and water, and has spent very little time moving, leaving her in her current malnourished state.

The Fairy King seemed shocked by this knowledge. Had he not seen how I had struggled to keep up with the group? “I- I’m so sorry… It’s my fault. The forest, I should’ve been there…”

Ban’s face showed an increased interest at the mention of the forest.

“It’s not your fault... It was just bad luck that you weren’t there right then.” I yawned. I was so tired. While not much had happened, it had been a long day for me. I glanced over to Meliodas, who had remained silent the whole time. “Ummm… I know that where I’ve been staying isn’t really my room, so where should I sleep for the night? Or am I gonna get kicked out for having lied to everyone?”

“Of course you can still stay here, Zinnia-chan!” He was still referring to me in the same way, but something in his tone seemed to have changed. Was his voice… slightly warmer? “We aren’t going to kick you out over something as trivial as that.”

“Trivial?” I had completely forgotten that Hawk was there. “She lied to everyone!”

Meliodas ignored him. “You are right that I’d like my room back, though. Hmmm… You can move to the attic. It’s a little dusty, and when we find more sins, you may have to share the room, but you can stay there.”

“Thanks Meliodas-” I fumbled for a moment. His change in tone had almost made me revert back to calling him as I used to. Now that wouldn’t do in the current situation. “Meliodas-sama.”

I could see that he noticed me catching myself. He probably wasn’t the only one. No one said anything, though, as I slowly made my way across the room and took the stairs up to the attic, Zephyranthes close at my heels.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I don’t think we can trust her~” was the first thing Ban said upon the fairy girl leaving. It was obvious that she was still hiding things. She hadn’t even mentioned where she had gotten the form that looked so like Elizabeth from.

“I don’t know…” King hesitated. With Zinnia being a fairy, he wanted to trust her, but something didn’t add up quite right.

“We can trust her.” Meliodas had made his way to behind the bar and was tidying up some mugs. He might as well get ready for whenever they did have customers.

“If the Cap’n trusts her, then so do I,” Diane stated from her place outside the window, though she did look like she felt a bit suspicious. She was probably wondering what made the captain trust this fairy. Another rival for his love?

“So do I,” Elizabeth instantly agreed. She liked the girl anyways. Though they hadn’t spoken much, she had never felt any ill intent from her. “Zinnia-san seems harmless.”

Hawk decided to add his opinion in. “I don’t see how any of you guys can trust her! We should tell her to leave right now. Everything that she told us was a lie!”

“What was a lie?” Meliodas paused in his cleaning.

“W-well, that she was a human!”

“She never said he was human,” Meliodas pointed out before continuing to scrub a particularly dirty mug. Before Hawk could say anymore, he added, “She also never said she was alone. Diane, didn’t you say something about how you thought you saw a shadow over her when you found her, but it disappeared?”

The giantess nodded. “I thought I was seeing things, since I didn’t feel any shift in magic, and a presence didn’t disappear when the shadow did. Looking back on it now, though, it was probably that fox shade - or whatever that was. What does it do? Disappear into shadows? I could barely hear what it was saying. What was it saying that whole time, King?”

The fairy’s face had a slight red tint to it when he turned to the giant. “Yes, it can go into shadows. From what I heard earlier, it was hiding in your shadow when it got hit from a blast by Guila.” Diane looked surprised at this, and glanced at her shadow as though the fox would suddenly jump out of it. “It also knew that I was the Fairy King, and told me to tell that girl - what was her name? Zinnia? - my actual name. Before they went upstairs, it explained that after seeing the Fairy King’s Forest burn down, Zinnia stopped eating, drinking, and even moving. And that’s what's caused her to be so weak right now.”

Ban flinched ever so slightly at this, but King didn’t notice.

Meliodas looked up from where he was still cleaning. “Hey, it’s about time that we had dinner, don’tcha guys think?”

After a bit of discussion, everyone agreed to go outside for a meal.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“They don’t trust me…” I murmured to Zephyr from our spot at the top of the stairs. I had just barely been able to make out the words, so the fox shade had offered to eavesdrop from the shadows at the base of the stairs. Since the group knew that he was here now, I didn’t want to take any chances of them noticing him, so I had him only go down most of the way, and had told him to stay out of shadows within the sins’ line of sight. I doubted that Elizabeth or Hawk would have noticed, so it didn’t matter if they had seen him. The fox had just returned and relayed to me everything that I had missed.

At least Meliodas-sama does. And I think that Harlequin-sama wants to trust you. It’s mainly Ban. And I think that Diane-sama isn’t certain, even if she says that she trusts you. And I don’t really care if the pig trusts you or not.

I sighed in frustration before gathering up the clothes that I had grabbed from Meliodas’s room. I didn’t just want to leave my old clothes in there. Even if the uniform had changed to fit me when I’d transformed, I still wanted to try to fix my precious dress. Perhaps I could ask Harlequin to help me fix it? He did help to make it in the first place anyways… No. I didn’t want to bother him anymore.

Placing my hand on Zephyr’s head, I made my way up the final set of stairs and opened the door. Inside the attic were boxes upon boxes, most of which were caked in dust. At the far end of the room was a door that I presumed led to the balcony that I had seen from outside. Ignoring the door, I pushed aside some boxes to reveal what I had only caught a glimpse of upon entering the room: a bed. It was pretty dirty and had no blankets, and it seemed to have more dust on it than the boxes, but I gratefully dropped onto it before curling up on my side. Compared to the rocks I had been laying on not that long ago, this was bliss. I could feel the soft fur of my companion as he hopped onto the bed beside me, causing a small cloud of dust to erupt after the large one I had caused, and curled up into the curve of my stomach.

I didn’t care if they didn’t all trust me. Being here caused me to feel the safest that I’d felt in a very long time. Those were the thoughts going through my head as my mind drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Wanted

I had left Zephyr to rest in bed up in the attic before I decided to make my way down the hallway. Even if he’d been able to go up there the night before, his wounds had caught up with him, and I didn’t want to disturb him.

I was floating now. There was no reason to walk at this point, seeing as my hosts now knew what I was, and I seemed to be better to the point that I probably wasn’t going to fall as Zephyr had feared. I saw no point in the excess effort of walking when I could just fly.

When I entered the bar, the first thing I noticed was that I could hear Meliodas and Harlequin talking outside. Then I saw Ban across the room, slumped over the counter and mumbling. I made my way to his side, curious, to find that he was talking in his sleep, loud snores in between the words.

“I swear… I planted it, like you asked… Nyuum…” were the only words I could make out.

What’s that all about? I tilted my head to the side. I glanced out of the window above Ban in time to see Harlequin floating a good ways in front of the shop. Wait, were we moving? Didn’t Zephyranthes say something about this place being on top of a giant pig? Allowing my feet to land on the floor, I suddenly became aware of the rocking movement in the floorboards. How didn’t I notice this when I first woke up?

Rising back into the air, I flew to the door and exited the building.

“Yo, Zinnia-chan!” Meliodas turned to see me exit. “How’d you like your new room? Nice hair, by the way.”

I looked away, embarrassed. I had completely forgotten until just now that I hadn’t brushed my hair, and it must’ve been a knotted mess. “It was fine. A little dusty, but nothing a little cleaning couldn’t fix. Zephyr’s still up there. I really hope he gets better soon; his wounds look really bad.”

“That fox shade?” Harlequin asked as he approached. He was leaning lazily into his pillow, looking almost like it was the cushion holding him up rather than the other way around.

“Yeah.” I glanced around. Zephyr had been right; we were atop a giant pig. It was green, and appeared to be covered in moss or grass. Hmmm, it did look like the tavern was a boar’s hat.

“You never told us how you ended up traveling with such a rarely-seen creature…?” He was trying to get me to speak. I already knew that Zephyr had said all he was going to say, and I was tired of the fairy’s prodding.

“And you never told me how you ended up with the title ‘Sin of Sloth.’ I guess that we’ve both got things that we aren’t going to talk about.”

Harlequin tilted his gaze towards the ground. Was that guilt glinting in his golden eyes?

After that, all that was left was  an uncomfortable silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Wow, this place is busier than I expected,” Hawk remarked as we wove through the crowded streets of Byron.

“That’s because merchants from all over come to buy ceramic wares here,” Meliodas explained patiently.

Meliodas, Hawk, Harlequin, Elizabeth, and I had left the tavern and were now searching the town for information. It had been difficult to convince the group that I was well enough to come along, but I had managed to show them my recovery by flying a few swift laps around the Boar’s Hat. I had barely felt tired, and had made certain to not even show that. But they had made me take my human form, as they didn’t think it was a good idea to walk around with my wings trailing from under the edge of my cloak.

I just hoped that no one took notice of two girls that looked like twins acting like they weren’t… I was never very good at acting, which was why my secret hadn’t lasted under pressure.

“Captain, why was Diane left to house-sit while we’re here?” Harlequin was walking along the ground in his fairy form, pretending to be human. I had seen him transform into his human form from my window that night that he found out that I was a fairy. He had been speaking to Elizabeth outside, but I hadn’t been able to hear the words from my place at the window. It wasn’t pretty; the Fairy King should not look like a fat, middle-aged man. Ban had freaked out when Harlequin had transformed, as though he had never seen it happen. So, if it hadn’t been known that the other fairy had multiple forms, why had I been treated with such suspicion upon them learning that I did too? Huh? I even thought that I’d heard a snippet of conversation at some point before I met the other fairy where Ban was saying that that wasn’t King, as though he had never seen Harlequin’s true form.

“I had no choice,” Meliodas’s voice interrupted my inner musings. “She stands out too much. If there are any Holy Knights stationed here, we’d get no information, let alone any peace.”

“Yeah… Good point.” The other fairy sounded disappointed.

“And Ban-sama?” Elizabeth inquired.

“Because he looks miraculously identical to his wanted poster.”

Hawk then pointed out, “And you two look miraculously different from yours.” He had previously been saying something about being hungry, so I was actually surprised that he had been paying any attention to the conversation.

At this point, I realized that something felt off. It felt like eyes all around us were turned this way. I felt as though I was the center of everyone’s attention, and I really didn’t care for it.

“Ummm… Meliodas-sama…”

“Yeah, I noticed it too. It feels like we’re being watched.”

I actually dared to glance around now, only to find that many of the people in the crowd were looking our way. There didn’t seem to be any Holy Knights, though, so that was good.

“Oh,” Hawk turned to look up at the wall we were passing by. “There are some wanted posters here too.”

“They don’t look like they’ve been newly updated-” Meliodas started to say, only to stop.

“Oh!” This time it was Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Harlequin all in unison. What was it? I couldn’t see from behind them.

Pushing my way up closer, I leaned over Harlequin’s shoulder to see that a new wanted poster had been put up. With Elizabeth’s face on it. And, consequently, my face. “Oh.” What else was there to say?

“A wanted poster… of me?” Elizabeth’s face was filled with both shock and fear as she put her hand to her chest.

Behind her, Hawk seemed furious. “Whaaaat?! There’s not one of me?!”

Why would you want there to be? I had to say, sometimes that pig’s personality just irked me.

“Hey, you.” A couple of men came up behind us, thoroughly wrapped in travelers’ clothes. “You look like the girl on the poster…” They were talking to Elizabeth, but the taller one glanced up for a second and noticed me. “You as well!” He started to take a step towards me when I noticed Elizabeth disappear from my sight in a blur.

Zinnia, get moving!

Wait, how long had Zephyranthes been here? I’d thought that he’d stayed at the bar, resting.

Apparently, my reaction wasn’t quick enough, as I soon felt myself being swept off my feet and into the air. I automatically squeezed my eyes shut and started to kick it my assailant, only to freeze at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Hey! Stop wiggling, you’re going to make me drop you.” Cracking open my lids, I realized that it wasn’t one of the men that had grabbed me, but that it had instead been Harlequin using his Spirit Spear’s (I really needed to learn the name of it…) pillow form to propel me along. “I don’t know if you can keep up with us, so just stay put.”

“A wanted criminal’s getting away!” I could hear swiftly fading voices behind us. “Good lord, they’re quick! Capture her and turn her in to the Holy Knights!” There was another, quieter, questioning voice that I just barely managed to catch: “Wait, which one?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Did you find her?”

“Dammit, where’d she go?!”

“Search over there!”

The voices resounded from the ground below. We had managed to escape into a tower, and were now huddled at the top, hiding from the townspeople’s view. And by ‘we escaped’ I more of meant Harlequin, Meliodas, and Hawk; they had been the ones doing the running (or, in Harlequin’s case, flying). Elizabeth and I had just been along for the ride. I wasn’t very happy about it, though. I had wanted to not be a burden and escape with them, but Harlequin had been right; I wouldn’t have been able to keep up. Those two were fast . I didn’t even know how Hawk had managed to keep pace with them.

“We were careless,” Meliodas was saying. “Of course the Holy Knights are looking for Elizabeth, too. Since she hasn’t been away long, she looks just like her wanted poster.”

Hasn’t been away long? Away from where?

Meliodas crouched down next to Elizabeth, who was huddled up with back pressed to the wall, shaking violently. Concern showed clearly on his face. “Elizabeth, you don’t look so good. Do you feel okay?”

She shook her head shakily in response. Her hands were clutching tightly to her upper arms - so tightly that I was almost surprised that she wasn’t drawing blood. “I knew it would eventually come to this. But… When I saw my wanted poster… I suddenly couldn’t stop shaking…”

“She can’t help it,” Harlequin noted from his place behind his captain. “She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl, after all.”

Sixteen-year-old? Then she couldn’t be… I pondered, before shaking my head. No time to wonder about this right now. We have to get out of this situation. “Zephyr, are you still there?”

Everyone turned to me as I seemingly spoke to myself. Well, most everyone. Elizabeth still seemed a little preoccupied with shaking on the floor. The others seemed curious, though Hawk looked like he thought I was crazy.

You called? The fox shade materialized as wisps of darkness lifted themselves out of my shadow, leaving it slightly paler than before as the wisps gathered and solidified. He glanced around curiously, as though he hadn’t been watching the whole time. His gaze traveled around the whole group, and landed for a split second on the pig. I could hear a quiet Tch, before he faced me again. I would have laughed out loud, had the situation not been so stressful.

It was good that Hawk appeared to not be able to hear Zephyr.

“Do you know where the Boar’s Hat is from here?” I asked my friend.

He lifted his snout in the air, sniffing as though that would somehow determine our exact location. The fox then paused for a second before speaking. I believe so. The journey to this spot was fast and unpredicted, but I’m certain that I could get anyone back to within fifty meters of the tavern.

Smiling and patting his head, I turned to the group. “Hear that? We can get back to the tavern right away if you guys want.” Suddenly remembering that at least two of my company couldn’t hear my companion, I added, “Zephyranthes could get us there in a flash.”

“But… We came here to get information. I don’t want us to have to leave because of me…” Elizabeth didn’t seem very happy at the thought of returning to the tavern. She was looking directly at me, and a small frown marred her features.

“It’s fine, Elizabeth. You guys can go back, while King and I continue to scout for information on the other sins’ whereabouts.” Meliodas turned to face the fox shade before placing his hand on Zephyr’s head, causing Zephyr to dip his head slightly under the pressure. “Thanks, Zephyr-chan. Make sure they get back safe.”

Zephyranthes bowed his head a little deeper and closed his eyes for a moment. Of course. Anytime, Meliodas-sama.

Meliodas turned back to the frightened girl after removing his hand from the fox’s head. “Elizabeth, please go with Zinnia-chan and Zephyr-chan back to the Boar’s Hat. And take Hawk with you.”

Elizabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she steeled her expression in resolve and nodded. “Okay, Meliodas-sama.” She seemingly forced her legs to stop shaking and stood up.

“Wait, when did I agree to this?” Hawk squealed. “I could help you guys look for information. Why should I go back to the bar?”

Meliodas had been walking to the edge of the tower when he glanced over his shoulder to respond. “Well someone needs to protect the girls!” He smiled and, laughing, jumped off the tower. He was soon followed by Harlequin.

“Hmph!” came Hawk’s response. “I guess that’s true…”

“We might as well get going, then.” I glanced at my fox friend. “Care to do the honors?”

Zephyr nodded once and approached the inner wall of the tower. He pressed a paw to my shadow, which was stretched across the wall, and melded into it. Unlike his usual shadow-melding, though, the shadow turned pitch-black. Looking at the darkness felt almost like looking into the night sky or a bottomless pit. Just looking at the new portal gave me a foreboding feeling. This came whenever one of Zephyr’s portals appeared, but I still wasn’t used to it.

“Well, after you.” I looked to the pig while gesturing towards the hole. A small smile played on my lips.

“Wha- why me first?!”

Well, it didn’t have to be Hawk first. It could have been Elizabeth. I just wanted to mess with the swine. He didn’t seem to like me anyways, so might as well get a kick out of it. “In case you hadn’t noticed, my shadow was used as a base. As soon as I go through, the portal will disappear. That means that you and Elizabeth will have to go before me. And since you’re the one that’s supposed to be protecting us, I thought that you’d want to go first to make sure the other side was safe.” Not that Zephyr would let me go through if the other side wasn’t safe.

“I- I guess that makes sense…” Hawk was visibly shivering. “Then I’ll go first.” Shaking and obviously scared, he approached the portal. As soon as he was fully through, it was as though he was never there; no part of the pig could be seen in the blackness.

“You next. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe,” I added, seeing that the other girl was also frightened. “I’ll be right behind you.”

Elizabeth nodded slightly before she, too, disappeared into the darkness.

For a moment I glanced around to make sure no one had forgotten anything and that we weren’t being watched. After being certain that we were in the clear, I followed the two into the abyss.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Shadows and Walls

Darkness.

It was so, so very dark.

What was going on?

I knew that I had just stepped into the portal that Zephyranthes had opened, but it never took this long to get through it. It was usually step in, see a flash of darkness, then step out to the destination. It felt like I’d been walking for hours. In front of me, I could vaguely make out a lighter patch, which I assumed to be Elizabeth. I tried to call out to her, but when I opened my mouth, no words came. I tried to call for Zephyr, but got the same result. Feeling terror threaten to take over, I closed my eyes and pushed the feeling down. Opening my eyes again, I realized that I had stopped, and yet Elizabeth had grown no farther away. Well, if going forwards wasn’t working, then…

Reaching out my arm, I found that I could just barely reach the other girl, and I grabbed her wrist. Please let this work. I yanked her towards me and, in the process, fell backwards.

Blinding sunlight greeted my eyes for a moment before the weight of the silverette knocked the breath out of me and her hair blinded me.

Elizabeth quickly moved when she realized what she had landed on. The look on her face was even more terrified than it had been when she had been shaking on the ground. “Oh, Zinnia-san! I’m so sorry; I don’t know what happened.” Tears started to make tracks down her face. “I couldn’t see anything or anyone… I tried calling for you, but I couldn’t speak. I felt like I was all alone and that I’d never get out of there. And Hawk-chan… Where’s Hawk-chan?” She was now looking around wildly in search of the pig.

“He probably managed to get through to the tavern, since he went first. I have no idea what happened after that, though. That’s never happened before. I’m usually only in there for a split-second,” I explained. “Zephyr, what’s going on?”

“I found her!” The shout from below interrupted my inquiry. “I’m not lying! I swear I found her! Please believe me!”

I peeked out over the edge of the tower’s railing, and Elizabeth followed suit. Down below, one of the men who had seen us by the wanted posters was pleading with a very large man perched on a horse. The man on horseback wore armor that covered most of his body, exempting a large portion of his chest and right arm. Rain had started  to fall, adding a dreary, desperate feeling to the air.

“I came after I heard the report,” The armored man was saying, “But where is his wanted criminal?”

“Like I said, she ran away as soon as I talked to her. Please believe me, Holy Knight-sama!”

A Holy Knight?

“It’s Griamore!” Elizabeth was nearly yelling from her spot beside me before I clapped a hand to her mouth.

“Shush! We don’t want them to know we’re here,” I whispered fiercely before removing my hand. “And who’s Griamore? How do you know a Holy Knight?”

“The only thing that I can believe is that you have wasted my time,” came the voice from below.

“B-but…! You said that if we found any of them, you’d exempt us from recruitment and taxes…”

“But in the case of false reporting…” Griamore hopped off his horse, landing on the ground with a dull thud that caused water to splash up around his feet. “... the punishment is death!”

Before I could react, Elizabeth jumped out of the tower. She hadn’t even given any warning - she just jumped. “STOOOOOP!!” She commanded as she slid down the side of the building, gripping one of the gutters to slow her descent.

I sighed. “Guess since I’m part of the reason we’re in this mess, I should probably follow her.” As I was still in human form, I took the same route down the tower as her. I could of floated down if I had wanted to, but I didn’t want to make it too obvious that I was a fairy.

“That man is not lying. I’m right here, so let him go.” Elizabeth had faced the crowd, and was the most serious that I had ever seen her.

But it didn’t seem to phase the Holy Knight that stood before her. “Long time no see, Elizabeth-sama How noble of you to turn yourself in.”

He had begun to take steps towards her, but she held her ground. I took a step forward, hood covering my features, ready to protect Elizabeth. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to one of the people that had been so kind to me.

“Griamore, you’re a Holy Knight whose family has served Liones for Generations. I will not permit such tyranny from you!”

At this, the larger man tried to grab Elizabeth’s arms, but I used my fairy magic to pull her out of his arm’s reach and towards me. She gasped as I stepped between her and our adversary. Griamore seemed surprised at the action, but he simply took another step towards us.

“You seem to be mistaken. I didn’t swear my loyalty to the royal family. And who is this accomplice?” He bent down ever so slightly as though trying to catch a glimpse of my face. “Would this happen to be one of the members of that  group of criminals that you’ve been running around with?”

What was he talking about - the royal family? And why was Elizabeth attempting to order him around? When this was all over, that girl would have some explaining to do.

“Stop right there!! I won’t let you harm my little sister!”

Who was that? I swiftly faced the voice, almost causing my hood to fall. There was a new girl there, but she looked rather tomboyish. She had short, dark purple hair, and wore black pants and a pink jacket lined with fur. I didn’t catch much else as I let my hood fall back over my face.

She was still speaking. “Putting up these wanted posters… How dare you!”

“No way…” I heard Elizabeth mumble from behind me before she shouted. “Veronica-nee-sama!!”

Veronica glanced over to Elizabeth, a furrow knitting her brow, before looking to me. She she appeared to be trying to figure out who I was and just how I played into this whole situation. Did she think that I was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, like the holy knight seemed to think?

Seeing Griamore move even closer to Elizabeth and I, I made a decision. They were trying to capture us - or at least Elizabeth - and I couldn’t let that happen. Meliodas would kill me if I did. It was all going to be over soon if I didn’t do anything.

Well, here goes nothing… I grabbed the edge of my cloak and threw it in the air above me head, allowing myself to return to my fairy form and floating a foot above the ground in the process. “Sp-” Before I could even speak a single word, a magic force surrounded me, encapsulating both my body and my cloak within it. “Hey!” I banged my fists on the clear surface, but that only resulted in pain shooting up my arms.

“ Wall! ” Griamore chanted, holding a hand out towards me. “I will not let you harm Veronica-sama.” He swiftly approached and grabbed Elizabeth by the wrist.

“But… I was just going to…” I sighed. I wasn’t going to be able to break out of this anytime soon. My cloak fell to the bottom of the magic bubble and I plopped down on top of it. My head drooped in misery. That’s it. Meliodas is gonna kill me… Look on the bright side, at least I can’t feel the rain in here. Pushing my hair out of my eyes, I looked up to see that Veronica and Griamore were walking away, Griamore dragging along the slightly-struggling Elizabeth. They weren’t getting any further away from me, though, as the space that I was in was moving along with them. Can’t you try a bit harder to get away, Elizabeth? You look like you want to be captured. I sighed inwardly before laying on my side and curling into my cloak.

Zephyranthes, where are you...?

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Captured

~(Not far from the Boar’s Hat)~

“Whoa, you were right, Zinnia-chan. That didn’t take… Pugo?”

Hawk had appeared from the shadow of a tree, and the tavern was just a little ways up the hill. He had only seen darkness for a moment, and then he was here. But, when he looked back, no one else was there. Except…

Darkness peeled away from the tree’s shadow, taking the form of a fox. As soon as the form was complete, though, it slumped to the ground. Zephyranthes’ eyes were slit in pain, and he was breathing heavily.

“Where is everyone?” Hawk hesitantly approached Zephyr. “... Are you okay?”

Does it look like I’m okay? Zephyr growled. He slowly pushed himself into a standing position and looked around. It appears that I failed to get everyone here… And I reopened my wounds, to boot. This is not good. I didn’t think that my injuries would affect me so much. Suddenly realizing who had asked the question, the fox shade sighed. Why’d she have to send you through first? I could’ve dealt with Elizabeth-san, but you...

“Why do I feel like you just insulted me?” Hawk was unable to hear Zephyr’s words. A suspicious look suddenly crossed the pig’s face. “You separated us on purpose, didn’t you?! So that Elizabeth-chan would have no one to protect her!”

Of course not! Why would I ever do that? Anyways, Zinnia’s there, who could protect Elizabeth far better than you, anyways. Zephyr glanced around again and sniffed the air. We need to get back, or at least I do. I can’t help feeling something bad is going to happen. We need to find Meliodas-sama and Harlequin-sama and tell them that I’m currently unable to bring anyone back here.

“I need to find Meliodas!” Hawk was saying, unaware that his companion was speaking. “He needs to know that you two can’t be trusted…”

What?! Didn’t you hear- Remembering that the pig couldn’t hear him, Zephyr twitched his tail. Tch. Dammit! I’ll have to do it myself. He tried to dive back into the shadows, but pain shot through his body, so he rested his paws on the ground again, only to see that Hawk was in the middle of running back towards the town. The pig was already halfway there, it seemed. It’s been awhile since I’ve actually run anywhere. Zephyr spoke to himself as he stretched each leg in turn and began to limp slightly in his attempt to swiftly follow the path the pig had taken. Wait for me, Zinnia. I’ll find you, and I’ll bring help.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You seem to be doing well, Ellie. But knowing you, I never doubted you’d be able to take care of yourself.”

“Veronica-nee-sama…”

“Did you really think that’s all I’d say to you, Ellie, you idiot!!” Elizabeth’s sister was standing over the poor girl who was now cringing in the one chair in the center of the room. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been since you snuck out by yourself?!”

Just then Griamore suddenly opened the door to check if everything was fine, but he soon returned to his post after being reassured. Elizabeth and Veronica continued to bicker back and forth, but I started to zone out the words, as they didn’t seem to be getting anywhere.

Currently I was tied up and sitting on the only bed in the room. This wouldn’t have upset me so much had they been more careful with my wings, which were now strapped tightly and painfully to my back. I didn’t dare lie against the wall or bed. I was actually kind of surprised that they didn’t do more to restrain me - I was a fairy after all. Restraining my wings wouldn’t stop me from flying. Not that it mattered…

Even if I did do something, it would probably fail, as was showcased brilliantly last time I tried to help. All I seemed to do was drag Elizabeth and the others down. They were constantly having to look after me and take care of me, and the one time I had tried to repay them, I had failed miserably. Now we were separated from the group, and none of them knew where we were. Heck, not even Hawk knew, as he seemed to have managed to get through the portal that Zephyr had made. And Zephyr… my best friend was gone without a trace, and it was all my fault.

I had just been a burden since we found Elizabeth’s wanted poster - wait, no - ever since Diane found me. And why was there a wanted poster for Elizabeth, anyways? Why were any of them wanted? I should have probably asked that before all of this started, back when I first pointed out the posters at the bar. I doubt that they would’ve told me, though. Was I going to end up as a criminal for this? Scratch that - I'd probably counted as one as soon as I started running earlier.

Well, my life was now officially screwed. I was now going to be lumped in with a group of criminals. Not that my life wasn’t messed up before.

I sighed dejectedly and allowed myself to tilt over and fall onto my side.

“Tell me where the Seven Deadly Sins are! Then we’ll take it from there.”

Elizabeth remained silent to Veronica’s commands and tilted her head away. Sweat dripped down her brow.

“I see how it is. So you’re not going to talk, huh? Then why don’t I ask your friend over here?”

Hm? She’s talking about me? I glanced up, my despair sharpening to annoyance at its interruption. Maybe I shouldn’t have laid down on my side. It wasn’t a very dignified position to speak from, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing me sit back up just to speak to her.

The sound of light taps on the floor signalled her approach, and I looked up into her face to see that she was glaring at me. “So, fairy? Where are your companions, the Seven Deadly Sins?”

I contemplated telling her that I’d give her the information if she loosened the painful ropes across my wings, but seeing Elizabeth’s resolve hardened my own. “You really think I’m gonna tell you when Elizabeth-san didn’t? Ha! And I don’t know what you think that the Seven Deadly Sins did to deserve all this, but whatever it was, I’m sure they didn’t do it. They don’t seem like the criminal type.” Well, I could imagine Ban doing something, but never enough to be hunted down like this. I’m sure that my face being pressed against the cushion of the bed didn’t exactly help me look confident, but I didn’t care.

“How dare you show so little respect for Ellie - she is the third princess of this country!” Veronica exclaimed haughtily. Wait, she’s a princess? I guess that makes sense, considering some of the comments that have been made… But that means that Veronica is a princess too! Oops… “And I don’t know how you don’t know what they’ve done, but let me enlighten you: ten years ago they tried to overthrow the kingdom. They killed hundreds of Holy Knights in the process!”

I doubt that. I held my words back and glared back at the princess.

She continued to look at me intently, as though that would somehow make me speak. Eventually she sighed, though. “Hmph. Fine, don’t talk.” She started walking towards the door. “Then I can’t very well let either of you out of here.”

Elizabeth suddenly stood and took an uncertain step towards her sister. “Veronica-nee-sama!”

The elder princess paused for a moment before twisting on her heel and reapproaching Elizabeth. She then lightly placed a necklace around the younger sister’s neck. It appeared to be mainly made up of a chain and a large purple crystal. Her voice softened. “Take this. Father gave it to me to give to you. He says it’s a present to protect you from evil.”

“Is Father safe?!”

“Of course. Now stay here and behave yourself.” Veronica turned back towards the door and exited. “Griamore! Watch over Elizabeth inside, and don’t let that fairy try anything!”

“But I’m supposed to attend to you-”

“I’ll be fine. I’m going to lie down.” The door shut behind her after the holy knight stepped into the room. Soft steps could be heard, slowly getting quieter as they traveled down the hallway outside of the room.

Griamore took up a post near the center of the room, right next to the table. He was in between Elizabeth and I, and was watching out the window as though to keep an eye out for intruders.

Tired of seeing everything sideways, I started fighting with my ropes in an attempt to sit up. Wait… I levitated myself into a sitting position, mentally facepalming.

“Sooo…” I started. Griamore glanced over for a moment, but he must have decided that I wasn’t worth his time and faced the window again. “Elizabeth- sama , huh? You’re a princess? No one ever told me.”

“Oh, yeah…” She scratched her cheek in embarrassment. “I guess that everyone kind of just forgot. B-but you don’t need to be so formal! In fact, you can just call me Elizabeth.” She smiled. “We’re friends, after all, right?”

“I’d like to think so, Elizabeth.” I returned the smile. “I guess that you can call me Zinnia, then.”

“Also, I never got a chance to say it, Zinnia, but earlier when we got captured, that was the first time that I got to see more than just the tips of your wings. They were really pretty! I’ve never seen a fairy’s wings before. Are all fairies’ wings that big?”

I glanced at the foot of the bed, where the cloak that usually hid my wings lay in and untidy wad. “Ummm… thank you. No, they don’t, actually.” What’s with this small talk? Well, I guess that it might take awhile for anyone to find us, so what’s the harm?

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Zephyr's Escapade

Slow down! Zephyr tried desperately to pronounce the sounds. He then sighed and coughed as he slowed to a halt in the middle of the streets of Byron. He had been trying to catch up to Hawk in an attempt to calm the pig down and make him see the sense of searching for Meliodas together, but as soon as he started to chase him, Hawk had only seemed to get more frantic. Zephyranthes was now panting heavily and his head hung. By now, Hawk was long gone.

The people of the town were terrified of the sight of the fox shade. They had never seen anything like him - a fox as black as night, with eyes like alabaster. He cast no shadow, as he himself was shadow. Darkness curled off of the edges of his fur in thin wisps, only to disappear like morning dew from the intensity of the afternoon sun. Children peeked out from behind their guardians, curious, only to be hidden again by worried adults.

Whispers filled the edges of Zephyr’s perception.

“What is that thing?”

“Never seen anything like it…”

“Momma, can I pet it?”

“Shush, child.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the sighting of the wanted criminal?”

“It’s not doing anything…”

“Should we report this?”

Zephyr pricked his ears, trying to hear past the whispers, or at least to hear something of value. Nothing helpful could be heard though, and his head drooped again. Of course Hawk ran away. He can’t hear me. Perhaps he thought that I wanted to kill him, since he thinks that Zinnia and I can’t be trusted?

“Momma, momma, the fox talked!”

“No it didn’t sweety. Now get back behind me.”

Zephyr twitched his head in the direction of the voice. A small boy now stood in front of a young woman, holding her hand loosely. A few other children had opened their eyes wide, and their mouths were slightly open.

Of course! Children can often hear me since they’re more in-tune with the world than adults. Zephyr took a step towards the child. I’m sorry to bother you, he tried to be polite, even if it was wasted on such a young child, but have you seen a floating boy with red-brown hair and holding a green pillow? He has a blonde boy with him, who’s wearing a white undershirt and pants, and a black vest, with a sword strapped to his back. Knowing that the child wouldn’t understand that the two he was describing weren’t actually young enough to be considered “boys”, he settled on making it as simple as possible. They’re my friends, and it seems that I’ve lost them.

“Eh? A floating boy? We saw one earlier, didn’t we, Momma?” He tugged on the woman’s sleeve before pointing down a side street. “Didn’t he go that way?”

The kid was now very close to Zephyranthes’ face, and his mother wasn’t having any of it. “Alexander, get back! We have no idea what that thing is. It might bite you!”

“But it’s just asking where its friends-”

His mother grabbed his arm and pulled the boy back behind her. She started murmuring in a hushed voice to her son, but Zephyr chose to ignore her.

With only one lead, the fox shade turned in the direction that the young boy had pointed.

“Wait, stop!”

Zephyr was going to see what the boy had shouted about, but before he could even look, a heavy force knocked him down, causing pain to flare up in his side. Yelping in pain, the fox found that an older boy had jabbed at him with a sharp stick. A man beside him appeared to be getting ready to kick Zephyr while he was down. Why?

“Get out of our town, demon!” a woman shouted from somewhere among the crowd.

“Stay away from our children!”

“Don’t let it touch you! Who knows what it’ll do.”

He screwed his eyes shut as his body was wracked with pain. Normally, Zephyr would’ve just fled into a shadow, but his wounds were preventing that. It would only intensify the pain a hundred fold. All that the fox could do was hold his breath and wait for the beating to end.

Suddenly the shouting and commotion increased, but the kicks stopped coming. Zephyranthes didn’t dare open his eyes, though. That is, until he felt many smaller hands pushing and pulling on him.

“Come on !” It was the voice of the boy from before. “Hurry up!” The voices of other children grunted in agreement.

This caused Zephyr to finally open his eyes. Smoke and dust filled the air to the point that he could barely make out the figures of the people around him. Through the haze, though, Zephyr could see about four children of varying ages were trying to tug his limp body down a nearby alley. Stumbling to his paws, the black fox limped in the direction that they were fleeing, speeding up their escape.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Alexander! Alexander, where are you?”

“That damn demon! We should have killed it while we had the chance.”

“Where did it take the children?!”

Great, now they think that I’ve kidnapped their children, too… Zephyr growled. He was lying on his side, breathing shallowly, as one of the four children that had rescued him peeked out from behind the pile of bricks that made up a wall of their hideout in order to see what the adults were doing. By the time the small group had gotten to their safe zone, the dust had settled, and the men and women in the street were frantically searching for the missing children.

“Shhhh, they’ll hear you.” The oldest of the group, a girl that appeared to be about twelve years old and had red pigtails whispered. She appeared to be the leader of the little gang, with the boy Alexander as her second-in-command. She was wearing a fluffy red dress and brown boots, had blue-gray eyes, and had freckles spattered across her face. She also appeared to be the only of the children wearing nicer clothing with minimal dirt and grime. The daughter of a noble perhaps? Maybe that was how she got her position in this group.

“Momma didn’t seem to be able to hear it, though…” That was Alexander, of course, who only seemed to be a couple of years younger than the ginger girl. He had hair almost as blond as Meliodas’s, though it was about half the length. His eyes were dark brown, almost to the point of being black. While the earth tone clothes he wore were nicer, they were definitely on the tattered side. A concerned look etched his features as he addressed the older girl. “Sophie, why were the grown ups being so mean?”

“Yeah, Sophie-nee, why were they so mean?” The tear-filled question came from the smallest member of the group - a brunette girl that looked to be less than half Sophie’s age. Her pudgy cheeks made her look even younger than she was, and her deep blue eyes perfectly matched the final boy (who only appeared to be a year or two older than her) of the group, making Zephyr suspect them to be siblings, even if the boy’s hair was more on the red side. Her clothes were baggy and torn, as though passed on from older family members, and she wore worn shoes that were far too large for her feet. Zephyr did notice, though, that the other boy was barefoot. Perhaps he had given his shoes to his sister?

It's because humans tend to fear what they do not know. Especially when their hearts and minds are closed to the world around them. Zephyr pushed himself away from the rubbish heap that he had laid against. Thank you for saving me, but I must go now. My friend may be in trouble.

“The floating boy?” Alexander tilted his head slightly.

No. There is another. The floating boy and his companion will be able to help me save my friend.

“We can help you save your friend!” the unnamed boy exclaimed vehemently before turning to his little sister. “Right, Zoey?”

“Uh huh! I wanna help Sammy-nii-chan help Fox-chan.” She smiled up at her older sibling, admiration clear in her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound nearby, causing all of the kids to cringe and duck behind rubble. Not wanting to get the children involved, Zephyr took this moment to slip away, deeper into the alley. In doing so, he passed by another younger boy, but this one seemed a bit older and was covered in dust and ash. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing the fox shade, but Zephyr passed the boy too quickly for him to react.

“Hey, where are you going?!” Sophie’s voice drifted on the air as Zephyr swerved down a side passageway. Pain was radiating throughout his body from wounds both old and new, and each step made it worse. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was leaving a trail of bloody paw prints, but Zephyr didn’t look back to check. Light was shining ahead of Zephyr, signalling that the narrow pathway opened up to a wider street ahead.

Meliodas-sama! Harlequin-sama! He didn’t care anymore if anyone heard him, and tried to project his call as far as he could. Screwing his eyes shut to shield himself from the blinding light, Zephyr burst into the open street.

And ran right into someone.

Wha-? He stumbled sideways, but quickly righted himself. Before him stood Meliodas himself, Harlequin floating a little off the ground to his side. Surprise flashed across the dragon sin’s face, and Harlequin seemed just as startled.

And Hawk stood behind them with a look of smug triumph.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Zephyr's Escapade Part 2

Zephyr pushed the sight of the smug Hawk out of his mind and focused on the Blonde that loomed over him. Meliodas-sama! We need to find Zinnia and Elizabeth-san - I’ve lost them and can’t get back to them! He twisted to look at the fairy that hovered off the ground with a worried look. Harlequin-sama, please- Suddenly, the fox shade tensed before gasping and spluttering as he coughed up blood.

“That’s what you get for abandoning Elizabeth-chan!” Hawk announced from his place behind his companions.

Meliodas started towards Zephyr, but had only taken half a step before Zephyr’s attention was snatched elsewhere.

“Stop!”

Alexander’s voice resounded as he and the rest of the young gang burst out of the mouth of the alley around Zephyr. They ran in front of the fox, standing in a line to form a barrier between Zephyranthes and the Sins before stretching out their arms at their sides as though it was going to stop the others’ approach. Their stances held proof as to their determination, and their faces were set. Even little Zoey looked serious, though the look in her eyes wavered and watered a little. Zephyr took note of the fact that the older, dusty boy from deeper in the alley was in the wall as well.

“Fox-kun didn’t do anything wrong! He just wants to find his friends.” At the head of the formation, Sophie spoke for the children. “He needs to save his friend. Please let him go!”

“Please!” The rest of the children recited.

Sophie-chan… Zephyr coughed again. These are the ones I was talking about - the people I was looking for.

Sophie paused and inspected the trio, and she seemed satisfied when she noticed Harlequin floating a little bit. “Oh, sorry. Okay everyone, put your arms down.”

“Wait, can you all hear that thing?!” Hawk seemed offended to be the only one left out.

“I can’t.” The new boy, whose raven-black hair was pale with dust, was scratching his head in embarrassment, though his face held traces of a smile. “Everyone else can, though.”

“What’s this, Zephyr-chan? ” Meliodas tilted his head slightly as he took in the sight of the children and the fox’s injured state. There was an air of urgency about him, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

These children saved me from their parents earlier. We don’t have time for that, though, Meliodas-sama. As I was saying, we need to-

“Rescue Elizabeth-sama and Zinnia-chan,” Harlequin interrupted. “Yeah, Pig-kun filled us in.” He squinted in suspicion. “He also said that you’ve betrayed us - that you left Elizabeth-sama behind so that you could get away.”

Zephyr almost snorted, but worry at the thought of the Fairy King himself not trusting him prevented that. You really think that I would have done that? If that was the plan, wouldn’t I have taken Zinnia with me, rather than that paranoid thing ? Even if the pig couldn’t hear it, Zephyr had to return the favor of being called a ‘thing’. If you won’t trust me as an individual, please, at least trust the fact that back when fox shades were common, we were known as loyal servants of the fairy clan. I’ll explain why I was unable to bring them to safety later. Right now, we must hurry and locate Elizabeth-san and Zinnia.

“Oh, Oh! We can help find them!” The smallest girl of the group - Zoey - volunteered, rising up on her tiptoes and excitedly waving her arm in the air. Zephyr had almost forgotten the group was there, even though until now, Zoey had been telling her brother what a good job they had done helping. “I wanna help Fox-chan!”

Zephyr didn’t want the kids to get into any more trouble than they would already be in, so he was about to refuse, until Harlequin responded instead.

“I guess that having some helping hands couldn’t hurt… We don’t have any leads, after all.” He was holding his chin in thought as he mumbled the words. “What do you think, Captain?”

“Hmmm… Okay!” He nodded once. Zephyr couldn’t help but think that the tavern owner had only quickly agreed because he wanted to end the conversation and keep looking for Elizabeth (and Zinnia as well, Zephyr hoped). Meliodas walked over to a nearby wall that was covered in posters before scanning it and ripping down a familiar picture. He handed it to Sophie, who stood in the front of the group. “This is one of girls we’re looking for.”

All of the children leaned over their leader’s shoulder to get a look at the sketch. Sophie, being the most well off and probably the only one of them that could read, opened her eyes wide when she saw the large word “Wanted” scrawled across the top of the paper. The older boy that had said he couldn’t hear Zephyr also stared at the paper in surprise. Neither of them said anything, though.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the end, they had made Zephyr stay hidden in the children’s hideout in the alley while everyone else searched. The kids were worried about him, as there had been a trail of blood running from their hideout, which is what they’d used to follow him earlier. Zephyr knew that Hawk was glad the fox stayed behind, but it was for a different reason than that of the children. He just hoped that, if they did this out of worry, Meliodas’ and Harlequin’s worries leaned more towards the reasoning of the children’s than the reasoning that Hawk had.

Tch. Even the pig was searching. Zephyr felt so useless. Ever since he’d gotten injured, all he’d done was lay around helplessly. While it hadn’t really been long since he got hit with that blast, it’d been so long since he’d last gotten hurt, he’d forgotten what it was like. Why did fox shades have to be so fragile ? The whole reason he’d come with this time was so that he could help in an emergency, but when one had come up, he’d managed to screw it up. The group was separated, their mission to gather information had been halted, and Zinnia and Elizabeth were in harm’s way, and it was all his fault.

Zinnia, where are you…? The fox shade projected his voice at the level of a murmur. He knew that no one could hear him, though.

“ Zephyranthes, where are you…?” Zephyr’s eyes pricked at the voice that was as quiet as a gentle breeze. Though it sounded like the fairy’s voice, it felt more like his own thought projections.

Zinnia? He stood up quickly and looked down the alleyway in both directions, only for his head to droop. There was no one there. Of course there wasn’t; why would she be here? But… that voice was definitely hers. Why did I hear her? He shook his head and filed the question away for later. This is my only chance; I have to go now . Zephyr lifted his snout in the air and started sniffing, focusing on the feeling of the voice he had just heard.

Quiet. Distant.

At first, all that happened was Zephyr being hit with a wave of the scent of his own blood.

Familiar. Soft.

He started to sense something.

Desperate. Searching.

Feeling the shadows and the air around him, Zephyr closed his eyes and focused his complete attention on the feeling.

Alone.

There! The fox’s focus almost snapped, but he directed it back. He had it. He could feel the connection in the air. All of life was filled with connections, but the small interaction between Zephyr and Zinnia had strengthened the connection between them, allowing him to grasp it, as only a fox shade could.

Hmph, fox shades have multiple abilities, but a single hit and we’re down. No wonder we’re thought to be extinct. He almost scoffed, but stopped himself, fearful it would break the weak connection.

He peered out of the exit of the alley that he had originally come from, where the adults had attacked him. This was the direction that the connection was leading. Luckily, no one was around. There were a few quiet voices coming from side streets, but this direction was abandoned. Perhaps the parents were looking for the still-missing children. I hope they will stop blaming me for their children running off; I know I heard one of them saying that I took them. Zephyr stepped into the light of the open road, only to immediately slink into the shadows along the edges of the path. He didn’t want anyone coming after him again. He pushed himself as deep into the darkness as he could without actually entering the shadows before continuing.

Focusing only on following the connection and on staying in the shadows and out of sight, the fox wound his way through the town. He wove through streets, gardens, and dirty alleyways. He almost ran into walls a few times, and once he even accidentally entered the open door of someone’s house before scurrying away before anyone could notice.

The one bad thing about following a connection like he was: it was a straight path. It cut through anything in between as though nothing was there. If he was in a maze, it would be completely useless. As it was, Zephyr kept running into dead-end alleys and other obstacles.

Soon enough, though, Zephyranthes felt the connection strengthen drastically right before he stopped himself from running face-first into the door of an inn. He paused and shook his head, in doing so shaking off the grip of his connection to Zinnia. She’s here.

Zephyr almost called out to her, but stopped. He had no idea who or what was inside. Someone else might hear. And, even if they didn’t, if Zinnia reacted and enemies were around, it would give up his presence. That would certainly make it harder to stage a rescue.

In his current state, what, with being unable to even enter shadows, Zephyr knew that he had to find the others. He couldn’t do this alone. Glancing up at the sign that hung a ways above his head, Zephyranthes took note of the name of the inn: Ceramic Tear.

He also looked to the sky, wondering how long it had taken him to get here. The sun was setting. Thinking back, he realized that he’d been limping the whole way, which had probably slowed his pace gravely.

Don’t worry, Zinnia, Elizabeth-san. I’ll get help. We’ll save you. The fox shade pushed away from the inn, placing his dark paws on the stone bathed in the scarlet light of twilight. Even if I can’t do anything else right, I can at least get Meliodas.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Rescue

Sighing, I closed my eyes, only to open them immediately. My pointed ears twitched slightly in annoyance at the fly that buzzed around the room as it made a tight lap around my head.

I could swear that I had felt Zephyr’s presence for a moment, but the sensation had faded with the setting sun.

I hope they find us soon. I don’t know what’s going to be done with me if I get brought in, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. And it’ll be even worse for Elizabeth, since she’s the one they’re actually looking for.

“Hey Zinnia?” The princess looked up at me as she spoke. Her hair, as always, covered one of her eyes, making me slightly curious as to why she wore it that way. It couldn’t be very practical - how could she do anything with half of her field of vision obscured?

“Hm?”

“I was just wondering; why does your other form look so similar to me? We’d never met before Diane found you, so I don’t see how you could have looked like that. And what made you chose that form?”

“Hmmm…” Pondering the question, I wiggled a little in an attempt to get more comfortable in the tight ropes wrapped around my torso. “I guess that you could say that I once knew someone who looked just like you - or at least similar enough that when I took her form, you mistook it for yours. You might say that she was like an older sister to me. But, one day, something happened. I knew that I’d most likely never see her again, so, in her memory, I decided to make my human form look like her. Oh, and it was also because I just thought that she was really pretty!” I added, smiling, causing Elizabeth to lightly blush and smile at the compliment. I then quieted my voice to just a murmur, glancing towards the floorboards. “You can’t imagine how it felt, seeing you, who look just like she did, for the first time. It was like seeing the ghost of a loved one who was lost long ago.”

That’s right - even if this Elizabeth looked just like the one from my youth, they’re different people. There was very little doubt in my mind that Meliodas was the same person, but I knew that the Elizabeth I’d known was almost certainly gone. The one in front of me was a sixteen year old princess, nothing more. She couldn’t even hear Zephyranthes, as the Elizabeth I used to know could.

“Oh…” The other girl’s blush faded. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s fine! In fact, It’s been so long since I’ve seen her, I’m sure I would’ve forgotten what she looked like, had I not kept that form. And, while it was weird seeing you, it was almost like a reunion of sorts.” I looked back up again, forcing a smile. “Oh, I guess I should stop using that human form now, so I don’t get mistaken as you. We don’t want some random fairy being mistaken as the princess. Perhaps I should start thinking of what I want to look like.”

“Oh, no! Of course you can keep using it! I couldn’t take that away from you.” Elizabeth hurriedly told me. “That would be stealing a memento of someone precious to you…”

“Thank you.” My smile became genuine for a moment before adding a few words quietly to myself. “But it seems like everything that I have left is a memento…”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tap… tap… tap…

I tilted my head slightly, trying to hear the noise better. What’s that? Are they here; did they find us? Sitting back up and straightening my head, I sighed. Normally, I’d be worried that sighing would draw the holy knight’s attention, but I’d been sighing enough that he completely ignored it now. The princes sat across the room from me, looking towards the ground with a muted expression.

I looked up just in time to see the door open just a crack. What happened next happened in a flash. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it.

Meliodas and Harlequin stood in the now-open doorway. Luckily for therm, Griamore was facing out the window on the other side of the room. Harlequin twitched his finger, causing the small teacup that sat on the edge of the table to slip and tip off the surface. As Griamore turned to catch it, Meliodas calmly made his way into the room, right up to the edge of the table. This made him stand face-to-face with the holy knight, who was now crouching near the floor in his attempt to stop the cup from hitting the ground. Upon catching sight of the dragon sin, Griamore grabbed the handle of the sword that was sheathed at his hip. Before he could unsheath it, though, the blonde reached out and grabbed the sword’s pommel, stopping it. Meliodas jumped up behind the larger man, chopping at the back of his neck with the side of his hand.

That was the last thing I could catch before the two started swinging wildly at each other. The blows were so fast that they were just a blur to my eyes. Before I knew it, Meliodas had jabbed Griamore’s throat, knocking him unconscious. He now held the holy knight above him with one hand, and caught the cup that had been knocked over just a second ago with his other hand before it hit the floor.

“Meliodas-sama?” Sometime in the middle of the fight, Elizabeth had looked up.

“I knew you guys would come.” I gave the group a slight smile. “Before we go, could someone please untie me?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zephyranthes had not been with the two sins, sadly. I had hoped he would be, but Harlequin told me that Zephyr and Hawk had been sent back to the tavern. And there were some kids with them, apparently. He didn’t tell me why he had been sent back, though. Zephyr should have easily been able to stay with them through the shadows.

Harlequin and I took a different route from Meliodas and Elizabeth, just in case we were being followed. While the other pair’s path took them straight to the Boar’s Hat, ours took us on more of a detour, winding through the hills and a little bit of forest outside of town before going back to the tavern.

So that meant that it was just me and Harlequin. Just me and the Fairy King…

Apparently I wasn’t the only one to realize that we were alone, because the other fairy suddenly stopped in front of me, making me almost fly face-first into him. He turned towards me, his face a mere few inches from mine, causing me to back up nervously.

His face was serious when he spoke. “Now that your fox friend isn’t here to interrupt, would you mind answering some questions?”

I froze. No no no no no… This couldn’t be happening. I was bad at being alone in things. I always needed support, espescially when it came to answering questions. But, if Harlequin was going to start questioning me, that meant that I didn’t have any right now.

“Q-questions?” I tightened my arms around my wadded up cloak. I hadn’t had time to put it on between being freed from the ropes and making a hasty escape. Though the moonlight made it hard to see, a small amount of sweat dripped down my brow.

“Yes, questions.” The fairy King furrowed his brow as he squinted at me through the darkness.

“I-I don’t see what questions you have… My name is Zinnia. I’m a fairy that has lived outside the Fairy King’s Forest since before you were born. Zephyr - Zephyranthes - is a fox shade that has been living with me since he was a pup. What else do you need to know?” I was now nearly curled in on myself as I curled around my cloak in the air. My face was practically smothered by the fabric, causing my next words to be quiet and muffled, which wasn’t helped by the fact that they were murmured anyways. “Why don’t you trust me…?”

Harlequin paused at this and his expression softened slightly. “I want to trust you. That’s why I ask all the questions that I do.”

“But I only met you guys a few days ago, and you all want me to immediately tell you my life’s story… And yet, you expect me to be content with not knowing any of yours…”

The other fairy sighed. “I guess I can understand why you’re so hesitant. I went ten years without showing my fairy form to the rest of the sins, after all. How about a compromise?” He straightened slightly from his usually slouched form. “One question. I’ll ask you one question, and, if you answer it, I won’t ask any more.”

I took a moment to think it over before answering. It would definitely be nice to get Harlequin off my back on this matter. Him being the Fairy King made him my king as well, and I wanted my king to trust me - no, not just trust, I realized, I wanted him to like me. But if he knew the entirety of my past, I’m not sure if that would be possible.

“Okay, I guess one question won’t hurt. What do you want to ask me?”

He seemed to think for a moment before asking me. “Why were you gone from the Fairy King’s Forest for so long?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: No Return

“Oh…” was all that I could say for a moment. I guess that I shouldn’t have been surprised by the question. It was a good one. It was also pretty much asking why I left in the first place. “Ummm, you sure you don’t want to ask a different one…?”

Harlequin tapped his foot, but it didn’t have a very strong effect, seeing as how he was floating. “You said you’d answer one question. That’s my question. Why were you gone from the Fairy King’s Forest for so long?”

I sighed, looking to the sky. “Ummm… Well…” It’s not too hard of a question. Come on, deep breathes. Now how best to word it without... “Y-you know how fairies are born from flowers and trees and plants and stuff?”

“Of course. All fairies know that. Why? What does it have to do with this?” Harlequin slightly tilted his head.

“Well, you see, I wasn’t.”

“...”

“...”

“What?” He looked utterly confused. “That can’t be true. It’s not possible...”

My voice was tight as I responded. “It is possible - it just doesn’t happen very often. My mother’s name was Amaryllis. She died when I was born, and I was raised by my Onii-chan.” I looked to the ground. The breeze was causing the trees around us to creak, and a cold wind blew some of my hair into my face. “Fairies are normally born fully grown - minus the wings, of course. But I was born as a baby, and once I reached maturity, I stopped growing... But you didn’t ask about my childhood, so I won’t go any deeper into that; I’ll just explain what pertains to why I left and didn’t come back.

“Being different - along with causing the death of my mother, caused many fairies to treat me differently. In the end, I had to leave because of my differences. I was exiled just for being different. The m-man that I thought to be my best friend at the time left me this to remember him by.”

I started to stutter before I pulled down the edge of my shirt a little ways, causing Harlequin to blush slightly at the action, before revealing what I wanted to show him. A large, jagged scar marred the skin just above my heart. If I had shown my back, it would be revealed that there was a matching mark there as well.

Harlequin sucked in his breath at the sight, and seemed like he was about to say something, but I continued my story after covering the scar. “Onii-chan was on my side, though. He got me out of there, sending Zephyr with me. He told me to not return to the forest until he came to get me.” This was when I glanced back up to look the Fairy King in the eyes. “H-he has yet to bring me home...”

“How long has it been?” He looked worried.

“I answered your one question. Y-you said there wouldn’t be any more.” The truth was that I was barely containing my tears. I hadn’t spoken to anyone about this, not even Zephyr. While the fox knew all of this, we had never actually spoken about it. It felt like I was ripping myself apart, leaving my heart bare for all to see.

“B-but!” He looked into my eyes, probably seeing the tears that were gathering there. “Oh, well... I guess you’re right. I won’t ask any more questions. But I hope to find out the answers to the questions I have left at some point!”

“Okay!” I agreed quickly.

We had slowly started to make our way back to the tavern when I paused and spoke again, breaking the momentary silence. “Hey, Harlequin-sama?”

He paused and turned to look back at me. “Yeah?”

“I know this might sound stupid, but it’s been bugging me for awhile...”

“What is it?”

I looked to the sky in embarrassment. “What’s the name of your spirit spear?”

He froze for a second, slightly confused, then he smiled and chuckled a little. “Chastiefol.” He held out his hand to his side, making the large green pillow float just past it. “ Chastiefol First Form: Chastiefol! ”

The pillow was briefly encased in light before suddenly transforming into a long, thin spear. While it was quite simple compared to the spirit spear that I knew, I still found it amazing in its own right, and I knew that it held more power than it appeared to.

But the transformation had surprised me and made me flinch, in turn causing my wings to flutter open. Until now, they had been laying down along my back, folded in such a way as to take up very little space and make them appear smaller. Each one was as large as a smaller fairy in their own right. They were a little hard to see in this light, though, since they were mostly translucent.

Harlequin’s eyes widened, and he gasped. Before he could say anything, though, fireworks shot up from the town we had been in, illuminating my wings. Colorful splotches danced across the forest floor as light shone through the thin, brightly colored patches on my wings.

“Aren’t those…?” Harlequin trailed off, but I finished for him.

“-wings almost the size of a fairy king’s wings? Yeah. They don’t do much for me, though.” My face had turned pink, and I was slightly flustered from my disobedient wings. “They just get in the way, and, though they grew in after I left the forest, they made any other fairies that I happened to meet in my travels uncomfortable around me. I’d much rather have smaller wings, or no wings at all - like you. At least you don’t have to wear a cloak all the time to hide that you’re a fairy when you go into town.”

“But! But I’d give that away any day to have wings - even tiny ones! I’d do anything to have wings like yours. Why do you always hide them…? They’re beautiful…”

“Th-thank you…” I stuttered, blushing an even darker shade than before. After I had taken a moment to calm down, I continued. “I thought I said no more questions? Well, I guess I can answer this one.” I held out my hand in front of me and started counting the reasons on my fingers. “Like I said, they get in the way. My wings make maneuvering in almost any environment near impossible. They’re so colorful, they’d make me a giant target if I ever got into a fight. Oh, and the humans agree with you on how beautiful they are, so some of them would stop at nothing to hunt me down and rip them off. You didn’t see how easily I got caught back there; I’d have a hard time fighting off anyone hunting me for my wings”

“Oh… Well, I guess that’s true. Those are all good points.” Harlequin turned back, as though to continue towards our destination, before glancing back at me and taking in the sight of my still-open wings. “But you’re with us now. And we’re often outside in the open. There’s no reason to hide them anymore.” He gave a tiny grin. “You should keep them out more! They’re wings you should be proud of, Zinnia-san.” He then quickly turned his head away and flew towards the tavern, which was now visible in the distance.

I had been about to fold my wings back, but stopped at his words. He’s right; there’s not much reason to hide my wings anymore. Especially now that both Harlequin and Elizabeth have seen them. I stretched my wings out to the fullest, reveling in the feel of the night air against them.

Fireworks were still going off in the distance, the bursts of light and sound quiet compared to the beating of my heart, as I hurried to catch up to the other fairy. Only one thing went through my mind as we approached the Boar’s Hat: The Fairy King called my wings beautiful.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Return

The door was barely closed behind us when I heard a welcome voice.

Zinnia, you’re safe! Zephyr struggled to stand from where he was laying on the other side of the room. Strangely enough, the fox had been surrounded by a small herd of children, and had even been conversing with them.

“Whoa, not so fast, Zephyr-kun.” Meliodas, who had been sitting at the table nearest to Zephyr, stood up and knocked the fox shade back onto the ground, where the latter let out a pained cry from the action. “You shouldn’t try to move around too much with those wounds. What took you two so long, King, Zinnia-chan?” He had turned to face Harlequin and I when he asked this. Then he noticed my wings, which were now only slightly folded so as to not take up too much room in the smaller space. “Woah, nice wings, Zinnia-chan! I had been wondering what they looked like.”

Before either Harlequin or I could respond to the captain’s query, the smallest of the children spoke up. “Wow, a fairy! Look, Sammy-nii-chan, look! It’s a fairy!” She was tugging on the edge of a slightly older boy’s shirt.

All of the young children were now staring at me, eyes wide.

Oh, I should probably introduce you guys, Zephyr projected from his spot on the floor before gesturing towards the children. Zinnia, these kids saved me from their parents and some other adults, who were trying to kill me, thinking I was a demon or something. From oldest to youngest we have Zack-kun, Sophie-chan, Alexander-kun, Sammy-kun, and Zoey-chan. He pointed to each one with his snout as he said their names, starting with the tallest one, who had jet-black hair. Children, this fairy is Zinnia - the friend that I was looking for. He paused for a moment before adding, Can someone please tell Zack-kun that last part? He can’t hear me.

Zoey, in her excitement, turned to the eldest boy and repeated the fox shade’s words. All he did in response was nod his head and thank the small brunette girl. The little girl then turned back to me. “Zinnia-onee-san, can I touch your wings? Please?! I’ve never seen a real live fairy before!”

Before I could say that no, I did not want anyone touching my wings, Harlequin interjected. “Hey! I’m a fairy too!”

The second smallest child, Sammy, quietly spoke. “Where are your wings, then?”

“Ooo, I wouldn’t ask that if I were you,” Meliodas told the young boy. “That’s a sore spot for him.”

For Harlequin’s part, he just turned bright red, looked like he was about to say something, and instead turned around and rushed back outside. I heard Diane ask the other fairy what was wrong, but I didn’t hear the response.

There was silence in the room for a moment. Elizabeth, who had been silently sitting at the table that Meliodas had gotten up from, glanced out the nearest window, an uncomprehending look plastered on her face. Ban’s snores emanated from his room upstairs. Hawk, who had been standing near the bottom of the stairs, shot a sulky glare from Zephyr, to me, and back.

“Please, Onee-san?” Zoey was unfazed by the silence that she had just broken. “Can I please feel your wings?”

I sighed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Luckily, the children weren’t there for much longer. After a few moments of the youngest’s pleading, Sophie and Alexander had joined in. Sammy had looked a little awkward, as though he knew that I didn’t want the kids to ask me this, but didn’t have the authority to stop them. Zack had just been pretending like the whole thing wasn’t happening. Eventually, Meliodas had told the group that their parents must be worried, and that they should be getting home. In the end, Meliodas entrusted Zack, who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, with the younger kids’ safety and sent them on their way.

“Shouldn’t one of us have gone with them?” Elizabeth had asked Meliodas soon after they had left. “Perhaps you or King-sama?”

“They’ll be fine,” the blonde had told her. “If King or I had gone, that holy knight from earlier might have seen us and attacked. They’re safer on their own.”

The princess had agreed, bringing silence back to the room.

Which brought us to where we were now.

“Are those children gone?” Harlequin’s voice echoed through the room as the front door cracked open.

“Yeah. It’s safe to come in now.” I was just as relieved at their departure as he was. While fairy wings weren’t as fragile as the insect wings that they looked like, I still didn’t want a bunch of kids trying to grab them.

The other fairy floated into the room, closing the door behind him, before sighing in relief. He slumped forward onto his sacred treasure before making his way over to the table where Elizabeth and Meliodas sat. I, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor next to Zephyr, examining his wounds.

“How did all of this happen, Zephyr?” I murmured to the fox shade. There were numerous scratches and cuts all along his body, along with countless bruises and a few puncture wounds. Even his paws were scraped and blood was scabbing over the paw pads.

A good bit of it’s from before, but was just reopened today, he explained. But many of the bruises are new. Oh, and the spots that look like I was stabbed are new too. He huffed a sigh. I don’t know what’s with people these days; they’ll attack anything that’s new or that they just don’t know. When I went to look for you after we got separated, the humans that saw me attacked me and started beating me. One of them even started jabbing me with a sharpened stick or something. I didn’t quite catch a clear view of it. That’s actually when those kids saved me. They’re not so bad if you look past them being annoying children, I guess. And my paws are just badly scraped from running along the rough cobblestone streets after getting used to the softer ground of the wilderness.

“Speaking of being separated: what happened back there? That’s never happened before. It was really terrifying being stuck in darkness like that.” I heard a slight shifting, and looked over to see Elizabeth tighten her arms over her chest and nod slightly.

“Yeah,” Meliodas added. “You did say that you’d tell us why you weren’t able to bring them here.”

Harlequin nodded in agreement.

Zephyranthes let out a reluctant breath. Well, it’s so uncommon that I get injured, I kinda forgot something. Though it would probably be hard for someone else to tell, to me it was obvious that the fox shade was embarrassed. It was easy, however, for everyone to see that he was shameful as he hung his head. Being inside of shadows tends to eat at wounds. Since my wounds were okay in the beginning, I didn’t feel the effects. That changed, however, when I opened up that portal. As soon as someone walked through it, a ripple ran through the darkness, reopening my injuries. The pain that the shadows caused was excruciating, and I wasn’t able to keep the portal open long enough for Elizabeth-san and Zinnia to get through it. I guess that the entrance was still slightly open because whoever went through last wasn’t fully through it when the portal closed. He looked up from staring shamefully at his paws and glanced between Elizabeth and I. I am so, so sorry for putting you both through that. Could someone please convey that to Elizabeth-san?

I glanced behind me to the other girl. “Zephyr says that he’s really sorry that we got stuck in the darkness. Hawk-chan going through the portal caused his wounds to reopen and he wasn’t able to get us here through the pain.”

“Oh…” She looked to the fox. “It’s okay, Zephyr-chan. I hadn’t realized that you were so hurt. I don’t think that I’m going to be going through any portals anytime soon, though.” She shuddered.

Well, I won’t be going into shadows or opening portals soon anyways.

“You forgive him that easily?” Hawk finally stepped out from his place in the corner of the room. He glared accusingly at Zephyr. “He caused all of this trouble! If he hadn’t agreed to take us here, Elizabeth-chan and Zinnia-chan would never have been caught. And shouldn’t he have known that he wasn’t able to go through with that portal?”

“What do you have against Zephyr, Hawk-chan?” I really didn’t understand. I knew that he didn’t trust me, as well, but he had seemed to like me fine when we just met. Was the pig just that against secrets?

Hawk turned on me. “And you . You’re just as bad! All you do is get into trouble. You couldn’t protect Elizabeth-chan when you were alone with her, and you were the one that suggested that we come back here in the first place!” He huffed out a breath of air. “You don’t belong here!” I flinched. “Neither of you do.”

~ ~ ~

“You don’t belong here!” The voice of my best friend echoed in my ears. “I don’t see how someone like you could have ever believed you could.”

Tears streamed from my eyes. I gasped in a breath, opening my mouth to explain. If I could just explain, then perhaps-

Terrible, excruciating pain pierced my chest. A shriek escaped my lips, and I looked down to see a blade extruding from my body. Hadn’t it pierced my heart? It looked like it was. My hands were wet with a warm liquid. Blood? Blood was all over the front of me, soaking into my clothes, warming my skin. My vision was darkening around the edges and sounds were starting to blur.

“What’s going on?!” My Onii-chan’s voice sounded so far away. I think I heard my friend say something, but everything was so distant. The last thing I heard was Onii-chan’s voice right next to my ear. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of her.”

Then everything was black.

~ ~ ~

I bolted up, off the ground and into the air. I could feel pressure behind my eyes from recalling the memory. My throat was tight. I looked around the room, into everyone’s faces. Was no one going to defend me from Hawk?

When my gaze finally landed on Harlequin, his eyes widened. Realization dawned on his features. “Wait-”

But it was too late. I was out the door, flying as fast as I could away from the tavern and the town, towards the forest. I could hear them calling after me. Diane, who had been sitting outside, watching the conversation through the windows, stood as though to stop me, but I was faster. Soon, I was alone in the forest, cheeks stained with tears.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Entering Vaizel

I was curled up on my bed in the attic, silently sobbing to myself. I knew that I shouldn’t have let Hawk’s words get to me, but they did. It didn’t help the fact that no one had spoken up for me at that moment. I somewhat understood Zephyr not, as I think he had just given up on ever speaking to the pig. But Harlequin, Meliodas, and Elizabeth? Even Diane, who had been watching through the window, hadn’t said anything!

Eventually, Harlequin and Diane had come looking for me. Zephyranthes had wanted to, but Meliodas had stopped him, with Elizabeth recommending that he remain resting. The fairy and giant had taken a moment to calm me down. Oh, and Harlequin had told me that he had told the whole crew what I’d told him earlier before heading out to find me. I guess it kind of made since to tell them after me running off like that, seemingly randomly. But it didn’t stop the feeling of betrayal.

I heard a knock at the door.

“Zinnia-chan?” The door cracked open, revealing Meliodas. I had almost been expecting Harlequin, perhaps coming to seek out forgiveness, but apparently not.

“What?” I sat up and perched on the edge of the bed, rubbing my arm across my reddened face to dry it of tears. “If this is about what Harlequin-sama told you guys, I don’t want to talk about it.”

The shorter man wandered into the room, glancing momentarily at Zephyr, who was now wrapped thoroughly in bandages and sleeping deeply at the foot of my bed. He ignored my comment and folded his arms. “What’s this about you getting stabbed? I’d never heard about it.”

Huh. This wasn’t the tone he normally used. Had he stopped pretending that we had just met? Guess I’ll drop the charade for now, too. “Of course you hadn’t. I doubt that Onii-chan went around announcing it to everyone after I left.”

“And why do you still call him ‘Onii-chan’? You know he wasn’t really your brother, right?”

“Of course I know that. He just taught me to call him that, and it stuck.” I sighed in frustration. “Look, can we not talk about this now? Why did you really come in here?”

“Let me see your scar first.” Meliodas was determined.

“Fine. But you better not do anything like you do to Elizabeth.” I pulled the edge of my shirt down again. I was really glad that the mark wasn’t any lower so that I didn’t have to reveal anything else.

“Of course I wouldn’t do that.” He was now looking intently at the mark on my chest. He held one hand to his chin, as though deep in thought. Meliodas then nodded. “Okay, that’s enough. So what I came in here for was to tell you that we’ve arrived in the next town: Vaizel. There appears to be a fighting festival going on here, and I suspect that the prize is Diane’s sacred treasure - Gideon. Ban, King, and I are going to enter so that we can win Gideon. Do you want to come?”

I looked away. “I thought that Zephyr and I just brought trouble…”

“Don’t take anything that Hawk says seriously.” Meliodas smiled. “Elizabeth gets into way more trouble than you. You just tend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Well, why didn’t anyone say anything the other night?” I was starting to tear up again at the memory.

“What, that?” He chuckled. “You didn’t even give anyone time to say anything. As soon as the words were out of his mouth you were out the door.”

“R-really? It felt like I had given you guys plenty of time!” I sobbed a little. Was it true? It had felt like an eternity, what with me suddenly remembering what my old friend had done to me.

“I guess that it can feel like that sometimes. Look, you two are trying your best to help, but you haven’t really been with us all that long. Don’t expect instant results, especially with having been as out of shape as you were.” He paused and looked me up and down for a moment, confusion entering his gaze. “Actually, how did you get so much better so soon?”

“No clue… I thought it was because I was a fairy or something . Or that Ban-san put something weird in my food, though that idea was more of a joke…” I trailed off.

“Huh. Perhaps we could ask King at some point about that fairy theory. Anyways,” he went on. “Do you want to go to the festival or not? If you do, Zephyr-kun has to stay here.”

“Well, I don’t really think so. I might like to go into town, but I’m not sure about the fighting festival. Hmm... maybe I’ll drop by to see the finals.” I’d actually love to see about some sewing supplies to fix my old dress. But I didn’t have any money…

“Okay. Here.” As though reading my thoughts, Meliodas pulled a bag of coins seemingly out of thin air. “Use this if you want to buy anything in town. It’s not much, but it’s something. Think of it as an apology for how Hawk treated you.” He grinned mischievously. “I told him that it’s from selling Ban’s leftovers.”

I giggled slightly. “Serves him right. Thank you so much, Meliodas-sama.”

“And drop the ‘-sama’. It feels weird coming from you.” The blonde stood up and turned towards the door.

“Meliodas- san ?” I tried, screwing up my face at the feeling of using the common honorific with him.

“Eh, close enough.” He was walking through the door, but stopped in the doorway. Tilting his head to look back at me, he threw some final words over his shoulder. “I think...” But then he shook his head and continued on his way.

“What? What were you going to say?!”

But he was already gone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Ow!” Someone had stepped on my wingtip, which was just barely poking out of the edge of the cloak that I once again donned to better traverse the festival.

I turned to try to see who had done it, but the crowd was so thick that it could have been anyone. Countless people wandered the cobbled streets in search of deals at the shops that had popped up to celebrate the festival. Noises, colors, and scents battered my senses as I attempted to make my way through the crowd. Dust filled the air as it was kicked up from people’s shoes.

I tightened my cloak around me, drawing my wingtips closer to my body, before looking around at the shops that lined the road. Sewing supplies, sewing supplies, sewing supplies… I just couldn’t find a store that seemed to sell them. Oh, a general store. Maybe that has something. Clutching the coin bag that Meliodas had given me, I pushed my way through the throng towards the smaller building.

The crowds thinned as I approached the store, eventually opening up so that I could see that almost nobody was even looking at the building. That made sense, seeing as how it seemed more permanent than the other shops, signifying that it was here year-round, unlike the vendors that were selling out of the tents that lined the streets. I let out a sigh of relief when I no longer felt bodies surrounding mine.

When I pushed open the wooden door to the store, a little bell tinkled above my head. “Welcome! Welcome. What can I do for you?” A lanky older man with graying hair greeted from behind the counter to my right. He quickly hopped down from the stool he had been sitting on and hurried to my side.

“Yeah… Ummm, do you perhaps sell sewing supplies here...?” I trailed off under my breath as I glanced around the shop. There was no one in here other than the clerk and I. It was much larger on the inside from what it had looked like from outside - there were even stairs leading up to a second story. Shelves lined the walls and there were many different aisles filled with all kinds of odds and ends, including a small grocery section. Perhaps the muted color of the building had detracted from it, making it seem smaller in the brighter colors and bustle of activity from the festival.

“Why, of course, little lady! Right this way.” He led me down one of the rows of items, past rolls of fabrics, and showed me a small section of needles, threads, pins, and a couple of patches. “Is your mother teaching you how to sew?”

“Wh-what? No.” I shook my head before examining the contents of the sewing section. “I just need to fix my dress. It’s falling apart.”

“Oh, but surely-” The bell from the front door tinkled again, signalling the arrival of another customer. “I’m sorry, young miss. I have to go and check on this other customer. Flag me down if you need me!” He then turned and swiftly made his way back down the aisle he had led me down.

“Pfft, ‘young miss.’ How young does he think I am?” There wasn’t much to look through, so I grabbed a random spool of white thread and a couple of needles, along with some of the cheap, excess scraps of fabric in similar colors to my dress. It’s not gonna be beautiful, but it shouldn’t fall apart. After a moment of indecision, I also grabbed a long, deep green ribbon.

“What can I do for you, sir?” The shopkeeper’s cheary voice came from the front of the store. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Books.” The voice that responded was very monotone.

Huh? That voice sounds somehow familiar. But where from?

“I’m so sorry, sir. That’s actually one of the few things that we don’t have here. You should be able to find plenty of vendors selling books for the festival, though.”

“Oh,” was the only response.

Curiosity dictating my actions, I tried to hurry towards the entrance, but by the time I’d reached the front of the store, the other customer was gone, this sound of the door’s bell having gone off a moment before I exited the aisle. I tried to spot the person out the windows, but it was impossible to tell who had left the store.

“Did you find what you were looking for, little miss?” The shopkeeper was making his way back to behind the front counter.

“Umm, yeah.” I approached and set my supplies on the counter.

Who was that, and why did they sound familiar?

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: The Fighting Festival

After dropping off my new sewing supplies in my room in the Boar’s Hat, I made my way towards the arena.

I had been momentarily surprised to find the other girls gone. But, after a moment of thought, I remembered that they had said something about going to look for ingredients before I’d originally left. Also, I’d found that Zephyr had woken up during my absence. He had been determined to try to go with me. After explaining that he wouldn’t be able to hide in my shadow and reminding the fox of what happened the last time he went out in broad daylight, Zephyr had grudgingly agreed to remain behind.

I managed to get to the ring just in time to see the start of Harlequin’s fight.

“What’s going on?” I murmured as I moved into place beside Meliodas, who was clutching Harlequin’s Chastiefol. “Who’s winning?”

The dragon sin glanced at me before looking back to the fighters, his face half-covered by green pillow. “Just watch. You should see King fight without his sacred treasure - it’s incredible.”

“I’ve never seen King fight without a weapon before!” came a familiar voice from behind me.

“Diane-sama!” The voice turned out to belong to the brunette giantess. But, for some reason, she was now human-sized, and was also wearing Elizabeth’s clothes.

“Hey, Zinnia-chan! Surprised?” Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she tilted her head.

I only had time to give a slight nod before Meliodas continued what he was saying. “It will only be my second time seeing him fight without a weapon.” He chuckled slightly before adding, “This fight won’t last long.”

“Ummm, okay.” I turned back to the ring, taking in the sight of Harlequin and his opponent. I gasped. “But his opponent is an old man! What if Harlequin-sama kills him?” Meliodas didn’t respond, which confused me slightly, but I just continued to watch the fight, which was just about to start.

“Let the fight begin!”

Having already settled on the ground, Harlequin began running across the ring. I had expected something graceful, as the Fairy King’s movements normally were, but this was not at all what I was expecting.

It was so lame.

The fairy jogged across the ground, exaggerating each movement, each stride of the leg, each swing of the arm. Even his expression was lame. Right as Harlequin reached his short, older opponent, he puffed out his cheeks as he slowly swung a fist at the geezer, widely missing.

“He’s pathetically weak!!” Meliodas burst out from beside me, smiling maniacally.

At the same time, Harlequin exclaimed, “He dodged that?!” as his opponent hiccuped.

Is the old man drunk?

The small man brought up his fist. Just before the fairy could defend himself, the old man weakly hit him on the head.

Harlequin put a hand to his head, squinting his eyes. “He’s… He’s strong!!”

Meliodas sweatdropped. Diane nearly collapsed in exasperation. Behind her, I could hear Ban choke. I hadn’t fully realized that he was there, but I wasn’t surprised. Surely Hawk was in the crowd somewhere too. In fact, I was sure I heard his voice coming from somewhere, selling ale.

“Har har! Ready to through in the towel?!” The old man calling, hopping back from Harlequin, who also jumped away.

“This barely qualifies as a fight!!” Many people shouted from the crowd. Many members of the audience were booing, and some were even throwing food and whatever else they could get their hands on.

“He even lost against a cat who stole his food,” Meliodas murmured from beside me.

Suddenly, Harlequin’s gaze became serious. He reached out a hand towards his opponent, and I sensed a bit of fairy magic stir in the air. Is this finally going to get exciting?

Nope.

The old man shivered, then jumped forwards and struck suddenly, blasting Harlequin out of the ring towards me and the rest of the group. He skidded across the ground, landing with a soft “ thud ” in the fluffy form of his Chastiefol, which didn’t even cause Meliodas, who was holding the pillow, to shift.

“Oof!” The fairy’s muffled voice came from the fabric.

“Old Fart’s out of the ring!” The announcer’s voice came again. This time I noticed that the announcer was super tiny, and most of him was covered by a helmet and some cloth. He seemed odd, but then I realized what he said.

“‘Old Fart’?” I questioned quietly.

“Lame~” Ban mumbled. He glanced over, noting my confusion. A sharp-toothed smirk edged his lips. “It’s the name I gave him for the tournament. Like it~?”

I looked away, but I couldn’t stop the amused grin that tugged on my cheeks. “Maybe…”

“Cain wins!” The helmeted figure shouted.

“It… It’s not fair. All I did was irritate his rheumatism with ‘Disaster.’” Harlequin whimpered. He was sunken into Chastiefol, with Meliodas leaning over him.

“Next is round one for Group D! Meliodaf versus Baan!!”

“Welp. guess that’s me~” Ban stuck his hands in his pockets and sauntered onto the stage.

“Meliodaf and Baan? Those are so obvious!” I murmured furiously to Diane next to me. “How does no one notice?!”

The giantess shrugged, unknowing. Nearby, I heard Meliodas telling the announcer that his sword was just for show so that he could bring it in the ring.

“Hey, why are you here, anyway? And what happened? Why are you so small and where’s Elizabeth?” I lowered my voice at the last part, scanning the crowd for anyone who might be a holy knight. One could never be too safe, and being wary had always kept me safe.

Diane grinned, scratching the back of her head. “There was an accident while looking for food. Oh, Elizabeth shrunk, too!” She pushed aside the ribbon at her neck, revealing the princess to be nestled in between her breasts. Elizabeth, who was quite lacking in clothes, blushed slightly at being revealed.

“Huh.” I leaned forwards slightly and lower my voice even further. “You okay, Elizabeth?”

The tiny girl nodded, and a high-pitched “yes” could barely be heard.

Diane looked over my head, noticing her comrades entering the ring. “Cap… I mean, Meliodaf! Fight!!” she cheered loudly. My ears rang from the noise of it and I cringed.

Harlequin glanced at her, frowning, and he also turned to the contenders. “Ba-Baan!! If you let him beat you, I’m telling Elaine!!”

“You should cheer, too, Elizabeth. No one will notice you.” Diane told her. “Hey, Zinnia-chan, who will you cheer for?”

“Ummmm, maybe Meliodas-san…?” I shrugged. I wasn’t particularly cheering on one or the other. I’d never seen Ban fight, but judging from what I knew of Meliodas’ strength, I guessed that Ban was surely powerful as well. This would most probably be a bloodbath.

She smiled, but paused, as though realizing something, and her gaze grew curious. “Hey-”

“Let the fight… begin!!” the announcer interrupted.

Instead of continuing, Diane shook her head and turned to watch Meliodas - who had given Harlequin back his Chastiefol - and Ban.

What was she going to say? I thought before I, too, turned my attention to the men.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I had been right. That had most certainly been a bloodbath. Though no one had said anything, I suspected that Ban was immortal. How else could he fight toe-to-toe with Meliodas? The blonde had looked like he was going to die, too, at times. They had even split the giant boulder that the arena was on in half! Who even does that kind of stuff? The movements of the two sins had been so quick, it had been difficult for my eyes to keep track of them. I couldn’t even imagine what it would have looked like for a human. And I’d gotten to see some of Ban’s powers that I hadn’t known about before - “ Physical Hunt ”. That strength stealing sure didn’t seem fair.

But there had been a moment that had sent a chill down my spine. Guessing by Diane and Harlequin’s conversation after the match, they probably saw it too. Right when it looked like Ban was going to win, Meliodas’ eyes darkened, and a dark mark appeared on his forehead. During that split second, he had beaten Ban. And not just beaten him - he had sent him flying through the air, holes all through Ban’s body.

Due to my previous knowledge of Meliodas, I knew what this power was, but judging by the way the fairy and giant reacted, I assumed that they didn’t. It was probably better to keep quiet about it for now. If their captain hadn’t already told them, then there was probably a good reason behind it. Guess I’m not the only one keeping secrets.

After Ban and Meliodas’ match, Diane fought a guy named Howzer, who Harlequin claimed to be a holy knight. Howzer kept spouting off inappropriate things during the match - seemingly unintentionally - making me cringe almost every time he spoke. Diane ended up winning, worsening the crack in the ground with her final move.

Then there was Meliodas’ next match, in which he fought the old man Harlequin had lost to: Cain. Apparently, Cain had thought that Meliodas was Meliodas’ son, and he knew Meliodas from some past experience to do with some place known as Danafall. According to Cain, Meliodas destroyed the kingdom of Danafall. But Meliodas said that he was trying to protect them. A lot more was said, but it was a long conversation with lots of fire and punches and exclamations. I won’t get into it. In the end, Cain accepted that Meliodas was Meliodas and that he didn’t betray Danafall, and he conceded the match.

That meant that the final was between Diane and Meliodas. I was looking forward to the outcome of that fight, but it was just not to be.

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Festival's Interruption

“Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The final match of Vaizel’s Fighting Festival!! This year we had an incredible lineup of fighters, and now we’ll have the decisive battle to see who stands at the very top!!”

My ears rang from the cheers that erupted after the announcer’s words. I attempted to cover my ears, but that didn’t help in the slightest, so I gave it up.

“Oh.”

“That’s us.”

Diane and Meliodas spoke at once. Meliodas gave Diane a thumbs up before continuing. “The sacred treasure’s as good as ours already, so let’s get this final round over with fast.”

Diane stretched up to climb onto the raised stone that made up the ring. “My heart’s ready to be KO’d by you, Captain.” She smiled. “Just kidding!” She paused before fully entering the stage. “Oh! Almost forgot! I need someone to take care of Elizabeth for me.” The giantess stepped back off the platform.

“Oh, I could-”

“Leave her to me.” Hawk cut me off. I hadn’t even noticed he was there - he must have approached during the cheering. “And I’ll put something on her. Give me that ribbon, and Elizabeth, lift your arms.”

The shrunken girl did as she was told, and the pig made a few swift movements, wrapping the ribbon around her. Within second, the princess was wearing what appeared to be a beautiful little strapless dress with a bow in the back. She was then placed on Hawk’s snout. “Thank you, Hawk-chan!” Elizabeth called.

“Wow! What’s with that random skill?” Harlequin asked from beside me.

“Woah… That’s so pretty!” I smiled. “It looks so good on you, Elizabeth! I wish you could make a full sized version for me, Hawk-chan.”

Hawk looked at me for a second, then looked away, but I caught his smile before he hid it.

“Now for the long-awaited bout! Meliodaf versus Matrona!!” The announcer called. I had to say, his weirdly high-pitched voice really grated on my nerves.

At this point, the two sins were completely ragged. Their clothes were in shreds, and scratches covered their bodies - particularly Meliodas’.

“Hey Harlequin-sama, what do you think will happen?” I asked the fairy next to me. “I think that either they’ll end it quickly with barely hitting each other just to get it over with. Either that, or it’ll be an all-out fight like between Meliodas and Ban-san.”

“That doesn’t leave much for me to choose from, does it?” He frowned. “It’ll probably be the first of those two, though - a quick match.”

“Ehhh~ I don’t know about that~” Ban, on the other side of Harlequin, contributed.

“What makes you think that?” I looked back to the contenders, who were talking about what they should do, when three girls on the other side of Ban started cheering for Meliodas. They were acting like they knew him and were saying some… interesting… things. Things that were definitely ticking Diane off.

“Gotta make the climax exciting~” Ban smiled grandly, revealing his fangs. He then stepped over to the girls and started pouring coins into their hands from a pouch that looked suspiciously like the one Hawk had been using to collect payment for ale earlier. “That was some great acting, girls.”

“Let the fight begin!”

“Cheater!!!” Within the split second of the bout starting, Diane’s exclamation rang through the air, and she had punched Meliodas’ head through the ground, further worsening the cracked state of the boulder.

“Is this stage… going to hold until the fight is over?” Harlequin murmured worriedly, and I couldn’t help but to silently agree with the question.

Meanwhile, Ban just laughed. “Now this is how a fight should be~!” After a bit of struggling, the dragon sin managed to pull his head free of the earth, and Ban continued. “You really made Diane mad now, so you better take her seriously! Or you’re dead~”

“Hey! Shh!!” The other fairy hissed.

Meliodas looked our way, giving Ban an unamused glare. He said something - presumably to himself - but the crowd was so loud that it was impossible to make out almost anything that was said on stage. Just as he looked back at his opponent, the shrunken giant swung a fist at him, causing him to just barely dodge it.

“Whoa, looks like they’re getting serious now,” I said as the two started exchanging blows back and forth. Soon the entire arena was rumbling and shaking from the blows of the fight.

“So who do you think’s going to win?” Harlequin asked no one in particular.

“I don’t care who,” Hawk responded, a dazed, shrunken Elizabeth atop him, “I just want to get out of here alive!”

“I think Meliodas-san will win,” was my response. I hadn’t even looked away from the fight to answer, as I might miss something if I did.

“Wasn’t that your guess with his fight with Ban?”

“Well I was right, wasn’t I?” I smiled at the Fairy King’s question.

“Hey! You bet against me?” Ban exclaimed playfully.

I focused my attention on the arena, pretending not to hear the fox sin’s remark.

Not that it would have been very hard to not focus on it; Meliodas had almost been knocked out of the ring, right in front of us. Many more punches were through, with Meliodas jumping at Diane, but being hit back to the ground. After a few moments, something strange began to happen: Diane seemed to grow. Only a little bit, but it was enough to make here power grow stronger. Well, at first it was only a little bit, but she gradually grew to the point to where she was nearly twice the height of what she had been a moment ago, and and the clothes she was wearing - Elizabeth clothes - started to rip to shreds from the strain, to where only a small portion of them remained.

“Well, there goes your outfit, Elizabeth,” I told the princess. “Though I guess that Meliodas-san probably has a spare or two lying around, considering that he had the one for me.”

Apparently Meliodas said something, because Diane’s shout of “SHUT UUUUP!” could easily be heard over the crowd. “I’ve had enough! I’ll never forgive you!!” She punched him into the ground again. Only this time, she must have forced him into an open space, as a moment later, Meliodas popped his head out of the hole again and said something to her. She tried to strike him again, but he ducked under the ground, reappearing a little ways away.

“What’s this?! Meliodaf’s come up with a clever scheme! He’s moving around the stage using the cracks in the ground to keep Matrona guessing!” The announcer called as Meliodas appeared and disappeared from various holes in the ground, just narrowly missing Diane’s descending fist or swinging leg each time.

Glancing around, I realized that the mood of the crowd had changed. Many people were frowning, and shouts of “Boooo!” echoed around the arena. Men - mostly the larger, burly, ones were raising their fists in the air and shouting complaints.

“Hey! Knock it off with the comedy routine!”

“Yeah! Fight more seriously!”

I could practically feel the spittle flying from the enraged patrons’ words.

Meliodas and Diane froze suddenly, perking up.

“Wow, the crowd really isn’t liking this, is it…” I sweatdropped. I thought it was pretty funny, personally. Terrifying, but funny.

“Sheesh! What a noisy drove of pigs!” Hawk’s voice was audible over the crowd. “They can’t help it if it’s their nature to joke around all the time!”

“H… Hawk-chan!” Elizabeth gasped from her perch on top of the pig.

“By the way, Elizabeth, is it me, or have you grown bigger?” Hawk added in a calmer tone.

“I was actually just thinking the same thing,” I put in.

“N-now that you mention it!” Elizabeth looked at her hands, trying to judge their size, probably.

“Fine. The comedy routine’s over.” Meliodas’ serious tone snapped us out of our conversation. I looked back to the stage to find him standing completely still, eyes cold.

“M-Meliodas-sama…” Elizabeth’s voice came from beside me, but I couldn’t bother to look her way. What was going on?

“What a bunch of idiots,” the dragon sin continued. “If you’d enjoyed the act a bit more, you could’ve lived that much longer. Onto the main event. We’re taking Vaizel and everything it’s got for ourselves.”

The crowd was quiet. Murmurs rumbled through the area.

“What’s that kid saying?”

“Is he pulling our leg?”

And louder, from the announcer: “Meliodaf’s acting strange!”

But Meliodas was insistent. “Take a good look at this mark, you scum!” He indicated the dragon tattoo on his shoulder, which had been revealed from his sleeve tearing off during the fights. “My true identity is the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Dragon Sin of Wrath, Meliodas!”

One man spoke up from the crowd. He looked terrified, but he spoke his denial. “Ha… ha ha… What’s he talking about?! He doesn’t look anything like the wanted posters! The kid’s just messing with us! R… right, guys?”

But others argued.

“I’ve seen that mark on other wanted posters.”

“And that superhuman fight… means he really could be…”

“Then… Oh! Look at Matrona’s thigh!”

“That’s the Serpent Sin of Envy’s sign!”

Suddenly Ban stepped onto the stage, making his way to his captains side. He was shortly followed by Harlequin, who was in his human form.

“B-Ban-san? Harlequin-sama? What are you guys doing? Guys?” I called after them. I tried not to be too loud, though, as I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. But they didn’t respond.

“Hey! That Baan guy’s got the same scar as the guy on the wanted posters!”

“And look! That mark on his side…”

“And… And Old Fart! No mistake about it! He’s just like his wanted poster!”

“W- where did he come from?!”

Meliodas finally spoke again once the group was gathered. “We’ve taken a liking to this town. I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give you a chance. You have one minute to get out of Vaizel. Because if you don’t, the Seven Deadly Sins are going to massacre you all!”

All four of the sins upon the stage stood together facing the crowd. They looked absolutely serious, bloodlust filling their expressions (though I couldn’t take Harlequin’s seriously while he was in his human form. It just looked ridiculous!).

“A… all four of them… What happened all of a sudden?” Elizabeth murmured beside me.

“Whoa, whoa! What’s gotten into them?!” Hawk echoed Elizabeth’s confusion.

“I-I don’t know.” I was just as confused as they were. “They don’t seem like they would…”

I froze. There was something coming. Something… slightly familiar? Whatever it was, it was coming fast - very fast. What was it? Was this why the group was acting so strange? They must have sensed it quite a while before me.

“Get the hell out of here!!” the dragon sin shouted at the top of his lungs, his wrath showing in every bit of how he held himself.

People were screaming and shouting, but had yet to flee. One voice could be heard above the others. “Hey! What’s that in the sky?!”

The words were immediately followed by an explosion in the distance. A giant ball of fire was falling toward the arena and everyone on it. Before I could even react in any way, Meliodas jumped up towards the flames.

“ Full Counter! ” He sliced the fireball, which was as large as, if not larger than, the boulder that the arena stood on, with the tiny broken blade that was his sword. Amazingly, the giant attack disappeared in an instant.

“Whoa…” I murmured. I had never seen him do that before, even during the fights of the festival.

The blonde landed lightly among his comrades, who were all glaring in the direction that the attack had come from. “Crap. They’re already here.”

The crowd on the rock began cheering, but not for Meliodas. “Holy Knights! They’ve come to save us!!”

I looked up, following the gazes of the crowd, to see two flying creatures floating in the air, shaped kind of like very toothy manta rays. But that wasn’t what they were looking at. Atop the two creatures stood three people. And one of those people I recognized as the half-dead lady from Necropolis.

“Well, crap,” I quietly repeated Meliodas’ sentiment before adding to myself, “I don’t know if I can fight…”

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Lone Uncertainty

“Meliodas and the others realized the Holy Knights were coming,” Elizabeth murmured, barely audible above the rabble. “That’s why they put on that act, to get everyone away…”

I nodded in agreement. I had sensed the approach as well, but only moments before their arrival. Now, I was frozen in place, terror running through my veins. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?...

“That equipment… is on par with Sacred Treasures.”

“Guila’s probably incomparably stronger than when we met in the Capital of the Dead. Especially since there’s three of them. Let’s first split up!”

I had only barely caught the conversation between the sins before they disappeared, splitting into different directions. Their departure was marked with another explosion, this one directed at the town near the base of the boulder. My ears rang from the sound, and I quickly covered my ears, focusing only on regaining my composure. By the time I focused back on my surroundings, I was alone. All the civilians had left the area. Even Hawk and Elizabeth were gone.

Truthfully, it was the first time I had been truly alone in many, many years. If it wasn’t for the distant screaming of townspeople and the sounds of ongoing fights, I might have thought that I was the only person left in the world. Wait, now that I think about it, have I ever actually been alone?

Another explosion - this one shaking the ground on which I stood - pulled me out of my revery. Not the time for daydreaming!

“Well, if I can’t fight,” I spoke to myself, rising into the air, “then perhaps I could at least help evacuate people.”

Soon, I was standing in the rubble-filled streets of Vaizel. Many colorful tents still stood, but just as many were ripped, torn, or buried under fallen chunks of stone and brick. Almost everyone was already gone, but a few panicked voices sounded throughout the area. A little ways down the road, where more people were swiftly making their way away from the town, one of the contenders from the festival was helping people to evacuate. I remembered that his name was Howzer, and that Harlequin had said that he was a Holy Knight.

So three Holy Knights appear and attack, not caring if civilians are hit, and another is helping the people? What’s going on?

Howzer caught a child that had tripped, setting him back on his feet. “Gotcha!” His voice travelled to me, loud and clear. “Listen everyone! Get away from the town, and don’t look back!” Another explosion landed near him, making him jump away from where he had been standing. “Damn those Seven Deadly Sins. They’ve made a real mess of things now!”

“What?” I couldn’t help myself from saying the words aloud. “They aren’t the ones causing trouble, though. The Holy Knights are!” Is he trying to make the people hate Meliodas and them more, or does he really not realize?

But he didn’t hear me. Instead, Howzer was helping a couple of the civilians that were struggling. Once he got some of the other people to help them, he turned back towards the direction of where the fighting festival had been - towards me. He dashed towards me, and I tensed and prepared myself mentally to have to fight, but apparently that wasn’t what he had in mind.

As he approached, his eyes momentarily locked onto me, and he called out. “Hey, you! Don’t you see that everyone is leaving? The Seven Deadly Sins decided to attack the town. You should get going.” He passed me, and by the time that I turned to see where he was going, he was already a good ways down the street, turning a corner.

Letting out the breath I had been holding, I realized something. “Oh, I guess that most of them wouldn’t recognize me. Only that Griamore guy would…” I’ll just have to hope he doesn’t show up. Then I noted, “Hmmm, if he already got everyone out of here, I guess there’s no point in my plan to help with evacuations… Now what?”

As if in answer, another explosion went off in the distance, away from where I had come from. It was followed by yet more explosions and shouts. That must be where most of the fighting is going on. Do I go towards the fighting or away from it… If I went towards it, I’d just get in the way, so away it is! Decision made, I turned back towards the boulder on which the tournament had been held. The path I took followed in Howzer’s footsteps, but I was certain that this would be better than going towards the explosions. Surely most, if not all, of the Sins were over there anyway; there’d be no point in my being over there. Right?

“It’s gone! Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone!” Diane’s voice sounded from up ahead as I approached my destination. “My Sacred Treasure Gideon is gone! Maybe the Holy Knights hid it somewhere… Aaaargh! What do I do?!”

“That’s the giant hammer that was here, right?” I asked when I came into sight of her. At this point she was even larger than she had been before the group separated, and she towered over me. Though she wasn’t nearly back to full height yet.

She whipped around to look at me, her face relaxing a degree upon recognizing me, only for another voice to make itself heard from behind some fallen rocks.

“Diane, the Seven Deadly Sins’ Serpent Sin of Envy… That’s as far as you go! Don’t try anything funny!”

Diane turned again so quickly that I was surprised she didn’t get whiplash, and called out a name. “Howzer?!”

For that’s who it was that stood before us. Howzer, in full armor that only left his head bare, stood there, glaring at Diane. In his left hand he held a lance that had a corkscrew pattern going down the length of it. “You’re after your Sacred Treasure, aren’t you?”

“You mean Gideon?” The giantess’s face was innocently curious before an accusatory note made its way into her voice and she pointed at the Holy Knight. “Ah! So you hid my Sacred Treasure, didn’t you?!”

“How would I know?!” He seemed slightly confused.

“I mean,” I finally spoke from my place behind Diane. “Wouldn’t you know whether or not you were the one to hide it? Though I highly doubt you did, since I just saw you in town evacuating civilians…” My voice trailed off, uncertain.

“Y-you!” Howzer exclaimed. “I thought I told you to get out of here! It’s not safe for a kid to be here. And why are you here with one of the Seven Deadly Sins?”

“But I’m not a kid…”

He shook his head, as though dismissing me, before turning back to Diane. “For the murder of the Chief of the Holy Knights and plotting to overthrow the kingdom ten years ago, I am putting you under arrest as a Holy Knight!”

“But I didn’t do any of those things,” Diane said with a slight tilt to her head.

“L...Liar!” Howzer seemed flustered as he denied her words.

“I doubt she’s lying, though.” I also doubted that my words were of any use, but I spoke anyway. “While the Seven Deadly Sins may do some crazy things, I don’t think they’d betray anyone. I mean really! Meliodas-san just stopped those other Holy Knights from destroying a good portion of Vaizel and killing all of the people attending the fighting festival. Not to mention that Diane-sama saved my life just a few days ago. And all those explosions destroying the town are coming from one of the Holy Knights! I think her name was Guila…?”

Diane glanced at me, seeming a little surprised as my outburst. Though a smile showed her gratitude, along with her agreement with my words.

“You would defend traitors to the kingdom…” But his face looked uncertain. “And Guila… She certainly is a Holy Knight, but she’d with  Hendrickson’s faction… I didn’t know anything of her coming here… In… In any case!”

A muffled noise sounded from behind, drawing Diane’s attention, and a man’s weak voice could be heard. “My legs…”

Ignoring Howzer, Diane turned and rushed to the origin of the voice. A man - obviously a civilian that had been caught in the crossfire - was pinned under a large pile of fallen rubble. His legs weren’t even visible under the remains of the house on top of him. “Oh… Oh, no! He must’ve gotten caught in Guila’s explosions!” She started pulling at the chunks of house, quickly unburrying them man with her giant strength. “Just hold on!”

“H-Hey! I told you not to move!” Howzer complained, taking a few steps towards the collapsed building.

“You want her to just leave the man crushed under rubble?!” I couldn’t believe that he would want that. He just didn’t seem like someone who would think that way. But when I had turned my attention to the Holy Knight, I noticed that there was another man in armor approaching behind him. Another Holy Knight? This one was wearing red armor that completely hid the shape of his body, making him look almost like some weird kind of shapeless bug or something. He held what kind of looked like to rounded clubs that rattled slightly with every step he took. Musical instruments?

“Well…” Howzer ground his teeth together.

“What’cha waiting for?” the bug-looking knight asked when he was right behind Howzer. “If you can’t do it, how ‘bout I do?” And when Howzer turned to look at him, he added, “Howdy.”

“Marmas! You came too?”

This guy seems like a weirdo…

“I’m supervisin’ the New Generation. Though… Without their Sacred Treasures, even the Seven Deadly Sins ain’t no enemy to us,” Marmas said before starting to shake the instruments he held. He started to shake them up and down, dancing a little around them as they rattled, and singing seemingly nonsensical sounds.

Quickly, Diane urgently called out to the one closest to her. “Hey, Howzer! Take this man-”

Suddenly it was like an invisible force was pushing her to the ground. She was using all of her strength just to keep her body upright while being crouched over the civilian.

“Wha-?” I started, only for the Holy Knight Marmas to speak over me.

“Gravity X10!!!” he chanted.

“What… is this? My body’s so heavy…!!” She had to shout to get the words out.

I guess I didn’t get away from the fighting, after all! The words passed through my head as soon as I could register what was happening.

The man that Diane was holding started bending over under the weight of his own body, making unnerving cracking noises.

Realizing what needed to be done, Diane threw the man to Howzer. “Hold onto him, Howzer!!”

As soon as the Holy Knight had caught him, the earth broke open under the giantess, causing her to fall deep, deep into a dark chasm that now yawned in front of me. Her shouting lasted for a moment, before it, too, was swallowed by the darkness.

“Di-Diane-sama?!” I murmured, only to be overshadowed by Howzer’s louder wail.

“DIANE!!” He stood at the edge of the precipice, looking into the the gaping hole with a horrified expression on his face.

“If- if only Zephyr wasn’t hurt. If he were here, he could’ve caught her in those shadows and brought her back…” I spoke to myself.

“Why’d anyone wanna save one of the Seven Deadly Sins?” Marmas asked, suspicion glinting in his eyes. He held his weapons slightly higher than where they had been resting at his sides.

“Y-you!” Anger bubbled up in me, causing me to shout. “You!! Didn’t you see that she was saving an innocent bystander?! Of course I’d want to save her! She’s one of the good guys, no matter what anyone else says. And even if she wasn’t, Diane is my friend!” It’s now or never… I grabbed my emerald cloak from my shoulders, throwing it into the air. In doing so, my wings perked up, catching the light of day and throwing colors everywhere. “ Dyrnwyn First Form: Dyrnwyn!”

My cloak - the one that I always carried - was suddenly engulfed in light. A second later, the light dissipated, revealing a spear floating in the air. The shaft was the same dark green as it had been as a cloak, but it was tipped with a gold-colored spearhead. But instead of being flat as Harlequin’s Chastiefol had been, Dyrnwyn had three edges that all came together to form a single point. A matching blade, only much smaller, adorned the bottom of the spear. And under the three sided spear head were what appeared to be three outward-curving bladed crescents in a matching gold that attached the spearhead to the shaft. Or, it looked like there should have been three, as they were each under one of the three edges of the spearhead, but there were only two crescents - one of the spaces was empty. Other than said crescents, there was only a thin, gold beam that connected the spearhead to the shaft.

It’s been a long time since Dyrnwyn has been out of its cloak form. I just hope I still know how to use it - if I ever really did...

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Scuffle

“You have a Sacred Treasure?!” Howzer exclaimed in surprise as I lifted Dyrnwyn slightly higher into the air.

“If that’s what you want to call it, then yes.” Not caring about Howzer, I turned my attention to Marmas. I could feel rage seething through my blood - rage at the fact that anyone would stop someone from saving people, that anyone would hurt one of my friends. But under that rage swelled worry and fear. Even if I had a spirit spear, I was nowhere near as strong as a member of the Seven Deadly Sins. And if these people had the strength to fight the Sins, did I have the strength to fight them ?

Pushing my worries down, I flicked my fingers, causing my spear to zoom towards the Holy Knight. Chink! The blade bounced off of his full-body armor, only leaving behind a miniscule scratch to show my efforts.

Gee, what a great idea that was! I scolded myself, thoughts dripping with sarcasm. Throw the spear at someone covered in plate mail - and without aiming. That’s sure to do something! It’ll definitely be able to get through the armor!

Of course, the poorly-executed attack only made Marmas annoyed. Or perhaps angry as well? It could be hard to tell someone’s emotions when you couldn’t see their face.

“I was gonna let ya go,” the knight murmured angrily, lifting the instruments that he held. “But now I ain’t feelin’ so generous.”

Feeling my fear return in a wave, I did the first thing that came to mind. Flicking my wrist in a circular motion, I chanted, “Dyrnwyn Fourth Form: Increase!”

The spear shattered into around fifty smaller blades, each resembling the crescents that had adorned the spear. With another motion from me, they were swiftly sent flying around the Holy Knight. Within a second, his armor was covered in scratches and chips, but no damage had been done to the man himself.

I hadn’t really noticed what Marmas had been doing through the flurry of blades I had sent at him, but it was soon made obvious to me. Within the blink of an eye, I was on the ground. I couldn’t even lift my head, I felt so heavy. Judging by the clanking sound coming from the Holy Knight’s direction, I’d guess that Dyrnwyn’s increased form had followed me in my fall.

“Gravity X10!!” he repeated his words from earlier. “You’ll haveta be a lot stronger than that if ya wanna stand a chance against us Holy Knights!” Then his eyes squinted as he laughed out loud.

From my place pressed against the ground, the only thing I could see was Howzer, along with the sky behind him. His expression looked torn, and he took half a step towards me. He looked back towards Marmas. “She’s just a girl…”

“A fairy girl!” the bug-armored man practically spat the words. “Could be older than the both of us combined, all we know. And she’s sided with the Seven Deadly Sins, at that. Ya saw what she tried to do.”

Blocking out the conversation, I focused on my fallen weapon. I put all my strength into lifting my hand a hair’s breadth off the ground, and flicked my wrist in a miniscule motion. I managed to breath the words, “Dyrnwyn Second Form: Guardian.”

I felt the magic react, and knew that the once-cloak would now be in the form of a giant green hawk - about the size of a small human. Of course, that wasn’t my only indicator. There was a gasp from both Holy Knights, and I could see Howzer jump back, grasping the lance at his side. Marmas must have dropped his increased gravity out of surprise, as I could now lift my body from its cramped spot on the ground.

Jumping up, I sent Dyrnwyn after Marmas again - but now in its hawk form, it clawed and pecked at him, aiming for the eye-holes and armor joints.

He backed away, attempting to make use of his weapons again, but Dyrnwyn’s large form and swift attacks kept him from completing the needed movements. “What’cha waitin’ for?!” he called to Howzer. “Help me! Get her! Do somethin’ !”

Howzer, whose body had been frozen in indecision, finally made his move. He held out his lance, pointing it directly at me. “Rising Tornado!”

The air around me started swirling, swiftly becoming a tornado around my body. I tried to call Dyrnwyn back to me in order to help me get out of the wind, but the force of Howzer’s attack was too strong. The wind caught my wings, flinging me into the sky. I couldn’t even stop my uncontrolled flight with my fairy magic. The only thing that I could do was make sure that my Dyrnwyn came with me as I flew over the town. I couldn’t help but scream as buildings flashed underneath me in a blur.

Just as I felt the giant, soft wings of Dyrnwyn’s Guardian form wrap around my body, I crashed into the ground. I was very glad for the thick fabric enfolding me, as I felt the roughness of sharp stones and debris pass underneath me as I slid across the ground. After what felt like eternity, I felt myself slowing down, and eventually, I came to a complete stop.

“Is it… is it over?” I murmured as I unwrapped myself from my cloak, which had come out of its Guardian form sometime during my skid across the rough terrain. I had landed on my back, so I only had to sit up in order to look around.

Around me, grasses swayed. A little ways to my left was a low stone wall, and in the distance, far ahead of me was the town of Vaizel. From my position, I didn’t see any other buildings around me. Howzer’s attack had blown me right out of town.

“No!” The shout was Elizabeth’s and it came from behind me and to my left, on the other side of the wall.

When I looked in that direction, turning further than I had before, I noticed a small stone building that matched the wall. I could see a familiar form looming on the other side of the wall, this side of the building. Is that Griamore - that Holy Knight from Byron? Luckily, he wasn’t facing towards me, and was instead intensely focused on something right in front of him. If that’s where Elizabeth’s voice came from, then…

Floating only about an inch above the ground so as to not make any noise, I snuck towards the stone wall. When I reached the it and peaked out over the edge, I wasn’t very surprised by what I saw.

In order of closest to farthest from me, there stood, the Holy Knight Griamore, Princess Veronica, Meliodas, Elizabeth, and Hawk. Meliodas was in between the two princesses, defending Elizabeth while at the same time pushing Veronica away, into the arms of Griamore, who worriedly exclaimed her name when he caught her.

“Meliodas-sama!” Elizabeth cheered, tears in her eyes.

“Our long awaited hero! At last!” Hawk put in. “This is what happens when Meliodas is back in action!”

This was when the captain of the Sins, who looked severely battered, widened his stance in front of Elizabeth, holding his arms out to his sides in a defensive posture. His broken sword was gripped tightly in one hand. I also noticed that, strangely enough, he was wearing the crystal necklace that Veronica had given Elizabeth when we were captured. “I’m going to protect Elizabeth, even if it costs me my life!”

The elder princess swiped her hand out to her side, bringing it back up into a fist that she held above her chest. “Y-you don’t fool me! You’re a monster! My little sister’s being treated like a wanted criminal because she’s with you guys! Give me back Ellie!”

Meliodas was determined. “I swear… I will protect your little sister! Trust me.”

Elizabeth, while Meliodas said this, pressed into his back, blushing.

Veronica paused, clenching her teeth, before speaking again. “Hendrickson was right. It seems you really have brainwashed Ellie.”

Right then, I noticed Meliodas’ gaze flick over to me, just for a heartbeat. He saw me! Well, it wasn’t like it was him I was hiding from… I was just lucky it was them facing my direction and Veronica and Griamore facing the other.

Veronica smiled a little bit before opening her mouth again. But what she said wasn’t normal words, but some kind of chant. “ Rosco Basla… Melcito. ”

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and the crystal that hung around Meliodas’ neck began to glow. It looked almost like it was trying to pull the Dragon Sin into it - which I soon realized it was, as I could feel myself being pulled too.

There was just enough time for me to pronounce the sound, “Wha-?” before I was gone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Dark Memories

My first thought was that I must be back in the shadowy place that Zephyr made portals through, it was so dark. But here I could see myself. It was like my body was completely lit up from all directions, but I was surrounded by complete darkness. It was neither warm, nor cold, and the air was completely still. And even though it wasn’t cold, a chill went down my spine.

It felt like I was trapped in a void.

But I wasn’t alone in this void.

Ahead of me stood the blurry form of Meliodas. Compared to my solid body, his image was oddly dark and murky. He was facing away from me, and I could see a hint of dark purple swirls on his neck and one shoulder.

“Meliodas-san?” My voice echoed strangely through the dark as I took a step forward and placed my hand on his shoulder. Only, I couldn’t. My hand passed right through him, and upon my touch, he vanished, blowing away like dust in the wind. “M-Meliodas?” But he was gone. There was no one to answer my worried cry.

I was alone.

Purely, completely, utterly alone.

I had thought that I was alone during the festival when everyone went to fight, but at least everyone was still around. I could’ve found someone if I’d looked for them, as I had found Diane. But here, there was no one for me to find. Despair filled my heart, and I tried calling out the names of everyone I knew, knowing it was in vain. I couldn’t help it. Something about this place seemed to be messing with my emotions, making me more upset than I would normally be. Normally I might try to calmly assess this situation - perhaps with some stress and a little tears - but not like this. Somewhere in my mind I knew this, but that part of my mind seemed to be being blocked, unable to affect the rest of me.

It was like the darkness itself was eating at me, and I suddenly all the negative emotions I had ever felt came crashing down on me. Sorrow. Anger. Despair. Horror. Hatred. Envy. Fear. Grief. Doubt. Frustration. Shame. Guilt. They all flashed through me, fighting to surface, and I couldn’t help but to scream.

Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. Past the tears, colors started to flood the void around me, and by the time I’d blinked and wiped the wetness away, a landscape had taken form. A landscape I had hoped to never see again.

A village burned around me. The village of Voryn, which had disappeared from maps thousands of years ago. Due to this very incident. This was the village that I had lived in after being exiled from the Fairy King’s Forest. Bandits had started the fire while robbing a member of the village. It had been during a drought, so the fire had spread swiftly, and the bandits had used the commotion to ransack the homes that the townsfolk were abandoning.

Screams of fear and pain rang throughout the village, but one was more familiar than the rest. And when I heard that voice, it was like I wasn’t in control of my body anymore. I rose up off the ground and flew between burning buildings, taking the same path I had taken all those years ago.

I could feel all those emotions I had felt a moment ago grow stronger, but the strongest emotion of all that I felt right now was dread. Dread for what was at the end of this path I was taking. I tried to resist but it was like I was a prisoner of my own body. All I could do was watch what had already happened. I couldn’t even close my eyes to block out what I was going to see.

The fire was getting hotter around me, as I got closer to the epicenter of the fire - the origin of the familiar scream. I practically shot into an opening in the buildings. Beside me, a smaller house crackled as it collapsed into itself upon my arrival, charred to a crisp. But that wasn’t the center of my attention.

No no no no no….

My gaze settled on a group of people in mismatched armor - bandits - surrounding a young man. The man had been trying to stop their ransacking - he had been for a while now, while Zephyranthes and I had been evacuating people from the flames. Normally the young man had messy dirty blond hair, but right now in was singed and dark, slicked down from sweat and blood. His deep blue eyes were filled with panic as they flicked to the bodies that littered the area - bodies of other townsfolk that had stayed behind to help him fight off the bandits.

“Kay!” My mouth called his name of its own volition. I wanted to turn away. I didn’t want to see this next part. I’d had nightmares of it for many years, and now here it was, in front of me, again.

Kay tilted his head to look at me. Relief filled his gaze and his face relaxed slightly, whether it was because I was safe or because he thought I could help him, I would never know.

Taking advantage of the distraction of my appearance, the lead bandit struck out, plunging his swords directly into Kay’s stomach. He ripped it to the side with a gut-wrenching tearing sound, forming a large, deadly gouge. Blood started pouring out of the wound, staining Kay’s blue tunic red.

The young man coughed, spraying blood, before doubling over and clenching his stomach. I could just barely hear him murmur “Zinnia…” before he collapsed.

“KAY!!!” The name hurt my throat, I screamed so loud. The horror of the sight overwhelmed me. It was the only thing I could feel. I felt like my heart was going to rip itself out of my chest. But then the anger came when I looked again at Key’s attackers.

Within the prison of my mind, I could feel the emotions from before growing stronger, and darkness seemed to be seeping in from the corners of my perception. I could feel something about myself beginning to slip away.

“ Dyrnwyn First Form: Dyrnwyn! ” I dropped the cloak that I had forgotten was bundled up in my arms before it could transform. Before the light from the transformation could even dissipate, I motioned with my hands, causing the spear to fly towards the men surrounding the fallen Kay. One tried to dodge, but I twisted the spear so that it caught his shoulder, slicing a deep gash into him. I continued attacking the men, slicing through their leather armor like it was paper. I got all of the archers first to prevent them shooting me out of the sky. Whenever one of the remainder went after me, I would just fly above them, out of reach, before cutting them down with Dyrnwyn.  Within moments, all of the men were down from my flying weapon, save the leader.

When I looked at this man, tall, with dark hair and a well-polished blade dripping with the blood of one of my dearest friends, I could only feel hatred. Even with so many of his men lying, dead or dying, around his feet, he looked confident in his abilities; it was like he thought that he could beat me with one arm tied behind his back. I wanted to give him a slow death as revenge for what he’d done, but I also just wanted him gone as soon as possible.

“ Dyrnwyn Fourth Form: Increase, ” I said with deathly calm. The spear flashed, and now the bandit was surrounded on all sides by crescent blades. I could only see the uncertainty appear in his eyes for a moment before he was struck from all sides at once, causing an instant death. He looked like a pincushion before I returned Dyrnwyn to its cloak form and grabbed it. “Too good for him…” I muttered under my breath.

Shaking my head to try to clear it of thoughts of the bandits, I dashed over to Kay’s side.

“Zinnia…” he repeated, shakily holding out his hand to me.

He’s still alive! I could hear myself think the words. I took a moment to think about how odd it was to hear the thoughts from a past event before being pulled back into the scene around me.

I clasped his outstretched hand in both of mine, tears running rampant down my face. “Kay! D-don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here! I think I remember Zephyr getting the doctor out of town. Zephyr was injured in the fires, so he can’t get you, but I’m sure I can! You’re fine! You’re going to be fine! And if not…” I removed one of my hands from his to clench the fabric of my cloak tighter to my chest.

But I could already see that his sapphire eyes were duller than they normally were. His mind seemed to be far away. “Zinnia… I remember when you first came to the village… I thought that you were just a girl… close to my age… When you told me… that you were a fairy… I just laughed…” He smiled, more blood dripping out of the edge of his mouth as he gave a slight cough. “‘Where… are your wings?’... I had asked…” His eyes gained a little bit of focus and he looked at me. It was like he was looking into my soul. I felt almost as though he could see the current me, trapped in the past me’s mind. His words started to be more broken, with longer breaths in between. “I… I wish… I could have lived... to see them… I’m certain… that your wings… will be the most beautiful… anyone… has ever… seen…” His words trailed off into silence.

“O-of course you’ll get to see them! You can… You’re going to…” But he had stopped breathing, and his eyes were completely glassed over.

Kay was dead.

All of the emotions that were building broke loose. Out of the corner of my tear filled eye, I saw darkness inching swiftly across my body, followed by a tingling feeling that felt both hot and cold at the same time. I screamed. And after that, darkness. I couldn’t remember what had happened after that. All I knew was that when I awoke later, the town was in ruins, and even the villagers that Kay and I had been trying to protect were dead.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Shatter

“MELIODAAAAASSS!!!” Elizabeth screamed the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins’ name desperately. She was crouched over the unmoving body of her elder sister, Veronica, and her face was soaked with tears. The purple crystal that had absorbed both Meliodas and Zinnia swung on its chain, which was wound tightly around her hand. Guila stood behind the princess, and her arms were wrapped around Elizabeth, constricting the silverette’s movements.

Nearby, Ban and Jericho fought a ferocious battle. Ban was covered in wounds that refused to close, blood covering almost every inch of his body.

“That’s enough-” Guila started to say into her ear.

Hawk, in his battered state, broke in, “You jerk! Touch Elizabeth again, and I’ll…”

Shadows began to form in the depths of the stone that Elizabeth held. A chill swept through the air. Guila shivered and, on instinct, dropped her hold on the princess. With a flash, cracks spiderwebbed across the surface of the crystal. When the girl held it up, darkness - like beams of light - shone through the cracks, and the crystal exploded into countless microscopic shards. Shadows poured forth from the origin of the explosion. For a second, darkness covered the surrounding area, chilling everyone in the area to the bones.

“Cap’n?” the bloodied Ban questioned. But, as the wave of darkness washed over him, he added uncertainly to himself, “No… This feels different… It can’t be…”

As quickly as the darkness had appeared, it vanished. The crystal that the princess had held was gone, to be replaced by two forms. In front of her stood Meliodas, All clothes torn away except for his pants, which were missing half of one of the legs from earlier’s fights. His eyes - normally seafoam green - were black, and they seemed almost vacant. Darkness covered most of his right side, tapering off into spirals in many places. At his feet lay the fairy, Zinnia. She was curled tightly around her bundled up cloak as though it were a lifeline, and her eyes were clenched shut, red, puffy, and wet. Dark swirls were visible over her body, as well; even her wings had a few markings at their base. The difference was that, unlike the markings on Meliodas, the ones on Zinnia were retracting in on themselves. Within a few heartbeats, it was like they had never even existed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Ehhh… And I’d been doing so well, too…” was the first thing I said after regaining consciousness. “It’d been so long since I’d last collapsed. I had thought it was over!” I was trying to joke around a bit, even to myself if no one else was around. But then my memory of what had occured rushed back to me, and I opened my eyes and bolted upright.

Around me, sunlight was streaming into the box-filled attic. Dust moats glistened it the air, and I could feel the slight rise and fall of the Boar’s Hat moving. Zephyranthes, still covered in bandages, stood at my bedside. Relief filled his ivory eyes when I sat up.

Zinnia! You’re awake. I’m glad, and I’m certain that everyone else will be, too. He placed one paw on the edge of my bed, as though trying to be closer to me without actually getting on the bed with me. Your injuries are minor, luckily.

“How long was I out?” I rubbed my eye as I asked the question.

Not long. We only left Vaizel a short time ago. As though anticipating my questions, he continued. Everyone is fine. A little worse for wear, but fine nonetheless. Though it appears that Elizabeth-san’s elder sister has passed. She is grieving, but is trying to stay strong. And on another note, Diane-sama has retrieved her Sacred Treasure, although Meliodas-sama has lost his sword.

How are you, Zinnia? You have never truly been in a battle such as this, so I was worried when the fighting started. I only got to see a small portion of it when Boar-sama entered town to bring Diane-sama a change of clothes.

“Boar-sama?” I couldn’t help but ask. He couldn’t mean Hawk?

The boar on which the tavern resides, he answered easily, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

“Don’t they call her ‘Hawk Mama’?” But I just waved off my own question before answering his. “I’m okay, I think. I just feel exhausted - both mentally and physically. I got a few bumps and bruises from a fight that I had with a Holy Knight named Marmas. A very short fight. Which I did terrible in. And doesn’t even deserve to be called a fight it was so awful. It was more like I was flailing around in an attempt not to die. I wouldn’t have even gotten into the fight, had I been more level-headed and just not said anything; perhaps I could have just flown down into the crevasse to try to help Diane-sama, rather than getting mad and attacking someone who is obviously stronger than me.” I was getting more and more annoyed with myself with each statement. My mind flashed back to the time that I had been forced to relive. “It was the same with Kay’s death… If I had just swiftly supported him, rather than calling out, then perhaps…”

“Those sound like to very different situations. Besides, you should worry about what you can do in the future, rather than what you couldn’t do in the past.” I turned to see Meliodas standing in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard the door open. He was still covered in cuts and bruises, they were all bandaged (probably by Elizabeth), and he was wearing a fresh set of clothes. “Mornin’ Zinnia-chan. Did you have a good nap?” He approached my bedside, and Zephyr made way for him to pull up one of the shorter crates to use as a chair. “You should probably thank Ban. I heard he carried you, Elizabeth, and King to safety when Diane was about to destroy the place. Though I wonder how he held all three of you? It must’ve been awkward…” he pondered.

“Meliodas-san-” I started.

But the captain spoke as though I hadn’t said anything. “That cloak of yours isn’t just a cloak, is it?” I gaped. I tried to deny it, or at least to give some sort of explanation, but he continued on. “Diane told me that Howzer said that you had transformed it into a weapon. He also said that you tried to fight his companion with it, while changing it into different forms, in an attempt to get revenge for what he had done to Diane. Even if you did a poor job.” The whole time he spoke, it was like he was telling me something that we both already knew; this could be a simple chat about the weather, he said it so simply.

I just tilted my head down, casting my eyes down to where my hands were clutching the sheet that still covered my legs. “I just… I haven’t really fought before… I mean, I kinda did, once, but that was different, and it was a very long time ago…” I tried to excuse myself, rambling on, but Meliodas stopped me by standing and placing his hand on my lowered head, mussing up my hair. I looked up to see that he was smiling at me, and his hand fell away from my head.

“It doesn’t matter how well you did! We all know that you tried. You tried your best to fight for your comrades, even when you didn’t know your own fighting abilities, or those of your opponent. That showed real courage!” he explained.

Why do I feel like he’s talking to me like I’m a kid...? Actually, I kinda feel like he’s always treated me like this from time to time... But it didn’t matter that I felt like he was treating me weirdly. Perhaps I was a kid on the inside, because his words had made me feel better, if only a little.

“Thank you, Meliodas-san.”

But he wasn’t done. His tone grew more serious. “That goddess amber - you were sucked into it too, weren’t you?”

I was taken aback. “G-goddess amber? Do you mean that crystal thingy? W-well, everyone saw me come out of it, so it’s no secret, but…”

“When I fully came back to myself, I remembered seeing you right before it was activated. Knowing what you are, I guessed that you had been pulled in, too. But why didn’t you react the same way I did…?” He held his chin, deep in thought, before sitting back on the crate.

“W-what I am? How do you-”

“I was asked to keep it a secret.” Meliodas looked up from his thoughts and lowered his voice. “I wasn’t certain that you, yourself knew, though. That’s why earlier, when you showed me that scar of yours, I stopped myself from mentioning that you’d lost one. But, after the incident with the goddess amber, it didn’t matter if you didn’t already know what you were, you needed to know.”

“Wait, lost one what?” While I knew some of what he was talking about, I was confused by some of the things he was saying. He’d made a promise? To who? Onii-chan, perhaps?

He held up one finger. “One heart,” he simply said. He glanced back to the doorway to make sure it was still empty. “Since you’re half demon, you must have inherited your hearts from your father.”

I lost a heart from the wound that caused that scar? How didn’t I notice? Though, that would explain why it hurt so much when it happened. The trail of thoughts quickly raced through my head before I spoke my biggest fear. “You aren’t going to tell everyone, are you?”

“No.” The captain stood up. He pushed the box that he had been using as a seat back into its place among the others. “You should probably come down soon. Oh, and if you’re wondering, Elizabeth took your cloak to a nearby stream to wash it. It was covered in blood from the fighting. King and Diane went with her to kill time until dinner is ready.” And he was out the door, gone before I could say another word.

“Well, that was very informative, yet not informative at all,” My annoyed voice bounced off the walls of the room a few moments after he had left.

What do you mean by that, Zinnia? Zephyranthes laid his head on the edge of the bed. He was now back in the spot that Meliodas had been occupying.

“What I mean , is that I already knew that I was a half demon. He acted like it was some big secret that he had to keep from me. Of course I would know! It’s me !... But… I hadn’t realized that he had known, nor had I known that I had lost a heart. Really, it’s stupid of me to have not known. The scar’s right over where a heart would normally be. And was it Onii-chan that he was talking about when he said he’d promised someone? It had to have been! Only Onii-chan and Otou-chan knew what I am. Maybe Onee-san, too…” Suddenly some of Meliodas’ words clicked in my mind. “Wait! My cloak! Dyrnwyn! Elizabeth, Diane-sama, and Harlequin-sama are going to wash it in a stream?? I thought we were still moving.” Of course, we had stopped. The swaying of the room had stilled, and the orange light of sunset had made its way across the walls.

The movement stopped soon after Meliodas-sama entered. Why? He was curious, and tilted his head to the side in a motion that I always found adorable, but I pushed the thought of the cuteness away.

I threw the blankets off my legs and stood. “If Harlequin-sama inspects my cloak closely, he’ll probably know what it is!”

Is there a problem with that? Meliodas-sama already knows, and it appears that Diane-sama does as well.

“N-no. I guess it’s fine if he knows, but I want to be there when he finds out! I don’t want him drawing the wrong conclusions. I don’t want him to think that I lied to him. So I have to be there to explain myself before things get out of hand.”

You may not have lied to him, the fox shade told me, but you hid facts from him. Sometimes that can be just as bad.

“Don’t lecture me, Zephyr- kun !” I teased him, tapping his nose as he fell into step with me. “Everyone hides things. I’m certain that everyone here holds a secret or two, even you.”

But the fox remained silent as we exited the room.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: By the Stream

It wasn’t so much of a stream as it was a creek. The small waterway that wound its way through the trees and fields showed signs of being a frequent resting place for the local wildlife, and it appeared to usually hold crystal clear water. But currently its waters held a few clouds of murky pinkish-red water. At least in the area downstream of where Elizabeth was busy scrubbing the giant red patches out of my cloak, that is.

It was nearing dark by the time Zephyr and I made it to where Elizabeth, Harlequin, and Diane were. By now, the birds had stopped singing, with the crickets taking up their songs instead. There were even a few bats darting to and fro in their attempts to catch insects.

“There, I think that’s most of the blood.” I heard Elizabeth’s voice from up ahead as I pushed aside some foliage that had been blocking my path. While I could have flown, I felt that it might be safer to walk here; the trees were pretty dense in this area, and I didn’t want to run into any, and if I had just flown in from above, I might have lost the creek due to all of the greenery. Not to mention the fact that if I had flown, Zephyr couldn’t have kept up with me with his current inability to enter shadows. Even walking next to the water as I was, there were many low-hanging branches that I didn’t want to hit. I rounded a bramble thicket to find a small clearing opening up in front of me. It was just big enough to hold the other three, with a little bit of extra space in between. There was still a little ways before I would reach it, though.

“Why does Zinnia-chan always have this cloak with her, do you think?” Diane thought aloud as Elizabeth attempted to wring out the fabric.The giant was sitting on the ground towards the back of the clearing, and she was fidgeting with the ends of her hair.

“Isn’t it just to hide her wings?” Elizabeth guessed, trying harder to twist the cloak - it was very thick, so she was having troubles. “They’re very pretty; I don’t see why she hides them all the time.”

“Zinnia-san has her reasons for hiding them. But I don’t think that’s the only reason…” Harlequin put in from his place floating on his giant green pillow beside Diane. While he appeared to be thinking seriously about the question, he also seemed pretty focused on the giantess. “Even when she isn’t wearing it, she holds it in a bundle. She never leaves it behind.”

“Well, now that I think about it, if what Howzer said earlier is true, it would make sense.” Diane continued her thought process.

“What Howzer said?” Harlequin asked. Before Diane could answer his inquiry, though, he sighed. He had been watching Elizabeth struggle to get water out of the cloak, and appeared to be exasperated with the fact that she couldn’t seem to do it. “Here, let me help.” He easily plucked it out of the princess’s hands with his levitation and, using the same ability, twisted my cloak so that a waterfall of slightly pink water just poured out of it. The Fairy King then, out of curiosity, pulled it closer to him and held it in his hands, allowing his Chastiefol to float at his side now. As soon as his hand touched it, though, his body went rigid, and surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by curiosity and some unnamed emotion.

In the pause, Diane continued with what she had been saying, though her words were hesitant after seeing Harlequin’s reaction. “He said… that she had transformed it into a spear to fight… Isn’t that kinda like your weapon, King?”

Of course, this was the exact moment that I finally managed to break through the trees that edged the clearing. I pushed aside a branch that was at the perfect level to catch my hair, breaking off twigs and leaves into the scarlet strands before coming free. And Zephyr, being who he was, elegantly stepped out of the forest behind me, not a single speck of dirt or debris in his fur, before taking his place at my side. He shot me a cheeky smirk before glancing back to the group in front of us.

“Exactly like it…” Harlequin’s gaze landed on me, and the intense look made me embarrassed of the state of my clothes and hair. I was certain that I looked like I had just rolled through a patch of brambles.

“H-hey guys…” I couldn’t stop my voice from faltering. I tried to pretend that I hadn’t noticed the stare, but I could feel my extended wings twitching in nervousness. “Thanks for cleaning out my cloak, Elizabeth; I didn’t expect it to get that dirty.”

Both the princess and the giantess looked to me, but, unlike Harlequin, they seemed happy to see me. Elizabeth smiled, and Diane soon followed her lead.

“It was no problem, Zinnia! I just wish that I could’ve done more to help everyone,” Elizabeth told me.

“You’re telling me! I was out of commission for most of the battle, and during what little I was there for, I got knocked around like I was nothing.” I laughed a little bit, trying to brush off the fact that what little pride I’d had had been shattered in the last twenty-four hours. “I’m actually not certain as to how so much blood got on my cloak, seeing as how I didn’t get injured enough for there to be that much…”

“I think that it was mostly the Holy Knight Guila’s blood. When you and Meliodas-sama suddenly appeared again, Meliodas-sama completely ignored you. And when he got back his sword from Guila…” Elizabeth trailed off, looking at her hands, which rested in her lap. She appeared uncertain, and I was pretty sure that I knew what of.

Judging by what happened while I was in that crystal and what Meliodas-san looked like when I first got pulled in there, before that nightmare began, he was probably using demon powers when he came out. He probably wasn’t fully in control, either…

Diane tried to break the uneasy silence that had descended. “So Howzer told me that you tried to fight the Holy Knight that knocked me into that hole! I didn’t know that you could fight.”

“Neither did I.” Harlequin’s stare hadn’t broken. His grip on my cloak tightened slightly.

“Hahaha… ha...” I looked to the ever-darkening sky as I tried to think of something to say. I could feel Zephyr’s gaze boring into my side, as though prompting me to speak.

You said you didn’t want any wrongly drawn conclusions. The longer you drag this out, the worse it will be for you. The fox shade’s words whispered quietly in my head. Speak.

The words had been soft, as though only intended for me, but I was pretty certain that Harlequin had heard them, as his eyes narrowed slightly. Though the other two appeared oblivious.

“Well, I’m actually pretty crappy at fighting.” I dragged the conversation on. “I don’t think I even scratched the other guy.” I was still staring into the sky, and I scratched the back of my head. Everyone remained silent, even Zephyranthes. I sighed, only to hear it echoed by the other fairy.

He tossed my cloak to me. “Hey, Zinnia-san, you asked me to show you mine. It’s only fair if you show me yours.”

The other two girls in the clearing looked pretty confused at this statement, but I knew exactly what he was talking about. My gaze fell from the sky to my shoes. I didn’t say anything and busied myself at picking a few twigs out of my hair before feeling Zephyr nudged me in the side. When I looked down at him, he was glaring at me, so I looked back up to Harlequin, who had floated ever so slightly closer to me. “O-okay,” I finally responded. I let go of the fabric, allowing it to hover in front of me. “ Dyrnwyn First Form: Dyrnwyn. ”

Just as it had during the fight, the cloak glowed in a golden light for a moment before transforming into its spear form.

“Whoa!” Diane gasped slightly, overlapping Elizabeth’s surprised squeak. Both of their eyes were as big as moons.

Harlequin, on the other hand, seemed more curious than surprised. He had flown closer to Dyrnwyn, and was examining it closely. My face started to heat up as he did this, because, rather than just being a weapon, Dyrnwyn was more like another part of me. “May I?” He gestured towards the spear.

“Um, sure.” It’s not like I could really say no at this point.

He twitched his fingers, taking control of Dyrnwyn’s flight. He then started maneuvering it through the air, twisting it this way and that. I didn’t even fully understand what he was doing or why. I was so entranced by watching Harlequin that I practically jumped out of my skin when Diane spoke to me.

“So that’s what you used to fight earlier? King was right - it is exactly like his.” She was also raptly watching the fairy fly the weapon around, but she turned a curious eye on me when she continued. “But if your weapon is just like King’s, why did you have such a hard time with that Holy Knight? I know that King could’ve taken him down easily.”

At this, Harlequin’s face turned beet red, and Dyrnwyn froze for a moment in its movements. It continued after he shot a few self-conscious glances at Diane, but even after the spear was moving again, Harlequin’s face was still red.

“As I said before: I’m not very good at fighting. Dyrnwyn wasn’t even originally mine; it was my mother’s. I heard that she was far more skilled with it than I am, but it was given to me after she died. Right before I left the forest, it was given to me as a sort of farewell present. I was surprised that I could even use it, given that most fairies don’t have the needed power to wield a spirit spear. Not that being able to use something means that you’re good at using it. I wish that I was half as skilled as my mother, then I’d have easily been able to defeat that Holy Knight. As I am now, though, I could probably not even take care of a normal knight.” I paused as I realized I had been rambling. I had told them more than was necessary - probably more than they even cared to know.

“I’ve never heard of a spirit spear with the name Dyrnwyn . Just who was your mother?” Harlequin had stopped his inspection of the spear, and it now floated lazily at his side, opposite of Chastiefol. “And also, why does it appear to be missing a piece? Everything on its blades is in threes, except for these crescent blades. There’s even a slot as though there once was another blade. Where did it go?”

“That blade was missing when it was given to me. I was told that my mother used it for something, but I’m not certain of exactly what.” I looked up at the sky again, but this time my gaze lingered on the swath of stars that spread across it. Even as I was looking, it seemed that more and more specks of light were appearing. Only the smallest amount of light shone on the western horizon. “Shouldn’t we be headed back soon? I’m sure that dinner’s gotta be ready by now, and I don’t want it all going to Hawk. And you wouldn’t want to walk back in complete darkness, right Elizabeth?” I turned my attention to the girl who had been almost completely silent from the moment that I revealed Dyrnwyn.

“Well, that is true,” She told me. I sensed a ‘but’ coming on, and was not disappointed. “But Diane just carried me to get here, since I’m slower than everyone, especially through this thick forest. I had hoped that she would carry me on the way back.” She looked to the giantess as though asking a question.

“Of course I will, Elizabeth! I’m not just going to leave you here.” She smiled.

But Elizabeth’s words had made me notice something that I hadn’t before. “Wait, which way did you guys even come from? The direction that I came from was far too overgrown for Diane-sama to get through, not to mention the fact that there were no signs that anyone went that way…”

“Oh, that’s simple…” Diane stood up as she spoke, revealing a trail behind her. Branches and bushes were broken here and there, revealing that it had recently been used. “We went through the path that looked easiest.”

“Of course there was an easier path…” I tugged another twig out of my hair.

Zephyr chuckled lightly at my side, causing me to look at him. I told you that if you had just waited for me to find their scent, we could have found them faster.

“Well I thought that the easiest way would be to follow the water. Then no matter what part of the stream they were at, we would find them.”

You didn’t have to start so far downstream, though.

“But what if we had-” I realized that Elizabeth was staring at me. Of course, she couldn’t hear Zephyranthes. “Zephyr is just saying that he could have found you guys faster than me.” I explained.

“O-oh.” She gave a cheerful smile to try to cover up the fact that she had missed out on the conversation.

“Well…” I trailed off. “I guess that Zephyr and I will head back now, if you guys aren’t.”

“No, we are. Right, Elizabeth?” Diane held her hand to the ground so that the princess could climb on.

“Yeah,” came Elizabeth’s agreement.

Harlequin’s only response was to slightly nod and to pass Dyrnwyn back to me. He still had a curious look in his eye, but he turned to follow Diane, who had already taken a few steps down the trail.

When I floated lightly into the air to follow, Zephyr spoke quietly. You should ask him to give you some lessons.

“What?” Lessons on what? How to be a fairy? I could sure use some of those.

He sighed. Lessons on how to use your spirit spear. It couldn’t hurt.

“B-but, I couldn’t ask him for that! He’s the Fairy King ! That’d be ridiculous.” I tried not to shout so that the group ahead of me couldn’t here me.

The fox shade couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Well, normally only fairy kings have spirit spears, so you have no one else to teach you. There aren’t really any other options.

“I can’t… I just… No…” I couldn’t really think of a reason to refuse it other than that he was the Fairy King, so I just went quiet. For some reason, I felt that whatever relationship Harlequin and I had, it wasn’t one that I could just casually ask for lessons.

After that, the two of us fell into a silence that was only broken by the sounds of the crickets and the nocturnal wildlife around us. Not even Zephyr’s paws made any noise on the forest floor.

The silence was broken by Zephyr’s quiet words. You didn’t answer all of his questions, you know.

“I didn’t?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Suspicions

From my spot at the edge of the small field, I watched intently as Ban and Harlequin sparred. Zephyr, who was bandaged much lighter than before, sat contentedly at my side, and I floated in a sitting position just a couple of inches off the ground. It was only last night that Harlequin and the others had been told about my spirit spear, and, to make it fair, Ban and Hawk had been told about it over dinner.

“Hmmm,” Ban had said over his mug of ale, “looks like ya got a copycat, King.”

I had quietly refuted it: “I’m not a copycat…” But there wasn’t much heart in it. Truthfully, I was older than Harlequin, so if anyone was the copycat, it was him - though if that was true, then the copier was far better than the original.

Harlequin hadn’t even said anything. He had still appeared to be deep in thought, like he was still trying to figure out the story behind what I had told everyone earlier.

Hawk, upon hearing of this, had also been quiet. He had looked slightly surprised, but that was it. I had actually been surprised that he hadn’t been upset in some way or other, with the way he had been treating both Zephyr and I. Though when I had thought about it, he had seemed to dislike Zephyranthes in particular, of the two of us. Perhaps he liked me more, or just didn’t know what to make of me. I was just glad that, out of all of the members of the group, it was the pig that had a problem with my friend and I.

The sight of Harlequin sending a swarm of blades flying around Ban pulled my attention back to the current moment.

“Hey Zephyr,” I tilted my floating body towards the fox when I murmured his name, and he glanced up at me questioningly. “I like to watch people spar and all, but why was it again that you thought we should be out here? It’s really early, and you know that I like to sleep late when I can.” And as though to prove a point, I punctuated the statement with a yawn.

Because- The fox couldn’t help but yawn in response to mine. -you should watch how Harlequin-sama fights. It might give you a better idea of how to fight with your Dyrnwyn. And since we’re with this group now, He paused to sigh, as though he thought that being with the Seven Deadly Sins wasn’t the best idea in the world, it would most probably be a very good idea to learn how to do that. It seems that there’s a battle with these people every other day.

He was probably right, but at that moment, I noticed that the fighting had gone silent, and Harlequin’s voice sounded louder in the quiet. “What’s wrong, Ban? You’re not acting like yourself. It’s like you’re purposely trying not to think about something.”

But as soon as the fairy finished saying that, Ban grabbed him by the head and threw him through the trees, out of sight. Ban quickly followed him, disappearing before I could even blink.

“Hmm? What’s going on?” I untangled my legs and stood, allowing my feet to lightly touch the ground.

Well, fights don’t always stay in one place, do they? Zephyr also stood.

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s the only reason behind what Ban-san just did. What Harlequin-sama just said was probably true, and he didn’t like it. Let’s follow them.” Without waiting for Zephyr’s response, I started walking across the grass.

You know, if Ban - the immortal guy that fought Meliodas-sama pretty evenly for a long time - is upset, it’s probably not a good idea to go after him… But he came with me anyway.

Entering the trees, I tread lightly through the forest. As I made my way carefully through the undergrowth, it was pretty easy to find the direction in which the two sins went. There was a clear path through the trees where branches were snapped from their trunks and plants were torn from the ground. Shouting and the sounds of fighting were audible from up ahead, and within moments, Ban and Harlequin came into sight. Ban’s fist flew right at the fairy’s face.

“Ban. That’s not the only thing that’s off about you. It’s the Captain, isn’t it?”

His fist froze inches from Harlequin’s face upon those words leaving his opponent’s mouth. I stopped moving as well, and I motioned for Zephyr to stop. I wanted to hear their words, and I feared that, should they know I was here, I wouldn’t get the chance. As silently as I could, I laid my wings back and twisted so that I was hidden behind a tree.

“I’m also mixed up inside about it,” Harlequin continued. At this point I was slightly regretting going behind the tree, as I wanted to see their faces for the conversation, but I didn’t dare to move. “The Captain that we saw the other day… and more than that… The ominous magical powers that were like Guila’s and the others’ and yet so far beyond them… And Zinnia-san, too. There were traces of that magic on her at the time, as well… What if the Captain - along with Zinnia-san - are really dem-” Harlequin’s words were cut off, and I heard a slight gasp from him.

“Say another word and I’ll knock out your teeth.” Ban’s voice was dead serious for once.

“B… but, aren’t you thinking the same thing, Ban?” Harlequin sounded slightly confused and worried.

“NEVER!! The Cap’n could never be like that monster !!” But Ban’s voice grew minorly uncertain. “I could never… believe that…”

“That monster…? What are you talking about?” Harlequin’s voice was still slightly strained. I was really wishing that I could see what was going on.

“There’s no way I’d believe it!” The way that Ban’s voice echoed changed, as though he had changed what direction he was facing. Perhaps he was facing towards me now, as his angry shouts were clearer than before. I was glad for the first time that I was behind the tree, and I held my breath. “The Cap’n told me to come with him! To a guy like me who’s lived his entire life like a shunned piece of garbage! In this world, the only whimsical oddballs like that are Elaine and the Cap’n! And anyway,” his voice quieted, “no matter how wretched his opponents were, Cap’n never killed them. There’s no way a tolerant guy like him would be a demon... Damn it.”

“Ban…”

A thin tingle of dread swept through me. So, Ban doesn’t deny the idea of me being a demon… I guess that we haven’t interacted enough for him to know enough about me to refute it, anyway. It would’ve been nice though… I hope that Harlequin doesn’t hate me because of his suspicions, even if he is half-right.

“Hey, what was that shouting just now?” Diane’s curious voice broke into the guys’ conversation, as well as my thoughts. “The day’s barely begun and you’re fighting again?”

“Diane… Elizabeth-sama.” Harlequin’s words confirmed who all had appeared.

“Huh? The Captain’s not with you?” Diane’s voice came again.

After deciding that I wouldn’t hear any more of Ban and Harlequin’s exchange, I waited for just another moment so that it didn’t look like I just happened to appear at the same exact moment as the other girls. Once I had deemed it to have been long enough, I motioned to Zephyr, who pricked his ears from among the ferns he had laid down in. I nodded toward the clearing and he stood to follow.

“Hey, so this is where you guys went.” I allowed my wings to open before stepping into the open and feigning a light smile. They all glanced towards me. “I’d wondered what had happened when you guys disappeared. Who won?”

Now that I had the chance to get a good look at the clearing ahead of me, I found that it was nestled up against a series of large boulders. It was from between two of these boulders that Diane and Elizabeth had approached.

Ban only held that serious look on his face for a moment before a grin broke through. “Me, of course!”

“H-hey!” I couldn’t help but chuckle at Harlequin’s flustered tone as he also dropped the seriousness. “No one-”

Suddenly there was an ear-shattering crack sound, and one of the boulders that ringed the area split down the center. I cringed against the noise, but none of the others did - they just looked to the broken stone. Uncovering my ears, I stepped up so that I stood alongside the others, Zephyr trotting at my heels. Within the crack, I could just make out the figure of a familiar blonde.

“Meliodas-sama…” Elizabeth murmured, which was overlaid slightly by Harlequin’s “Captain…?”

Meliodas’ words echoed strangely off the stone around him. “I promise… for the one who always fought alongside me… that this war that had been repeating for three thousand years will be settled this time, once and for all!!”

‘The one who has always fought alongside me’? I couldn’t help but wonder. Who’s he referring to? My curious gaze slipped towards Elizabeth, who was looking to Meliodas with hope. Could it be…?

I did find it kind of odd that no one said anything to this, but perhaps it was normal. Perhaps Meliodas sometimes just said things that none of the others quite understood the meaning of. Or, perhaps he was talking about something entirely different than what I thought, and I was the only one that didn’t know what his words meant. Either way, no one questioned Meliodas’ words.

* * *

You sure you’re okay? Zephyr’s tone was one of concern. What we heard back there wasn’t good. Neither of them think highly of demons - Ban in particular - and now they suspect-

“I’m fine.” I plopped onto my bed, Dyrnwyn wrapped tightly in my arms. “I knew this was coming. It always does.” I pressed my face into the cloak, smothering the need to add any other words.

You don’t seem ‘fine’. He sounded annoyed, but I could feel him hop up on the bed beside me and press against my side. Just remember, if you ever need to talk… He trailed off, but I knew well enough what he was saying.

“Thanks, Zephyr.” I was certain that my eyes were red when I pulled my face from the cloak. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ve always been able to count on you - you’ve always been here for me.” I gave him a small smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

But silence permeated the room. He was facing away from me when he finally responded. Yeah, I’ve always been with you, haven’t I? And yet... Was that a bit of sorrow in his voice? If I didn’t know better, I might even have thought that he sounded slightly bitter. But before I could ask why, it was gone. Perhaps I had imagined it. Come on, we should probably head downstairs. The day has begun, and they’ll soon start to wonder why we haven’t returned. He hopped down to the floor and made his way toward the door, his fluffy tail swishing to and fro behind him.

The spot where he had been pressed into my side suddenly felt cold, and I shivered before getting up to follow the fox shade.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: The Sins From the Rumors

“The leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, Peliodas, won’t allow it!!”

The shout of a child caused me to bolt awake. “Wha…?” I rubbed my eyes, and blearily glanced around my room. Afternoon sunlight pierced the thin curtains that I had put up in the windows, and streams of light poured in from the door that led to the balcony. Zephyranthes was standing in the open doorway, peeking his face out the entrance. His head was tilted downward, and he was crouched to the floor, as though trying to watch something without being seen. The one bandage that covered the stab wound on his side marked the reason why he wasn’t in the shadows themselves.

“What’s going on, Zephyr?” I murmured as I approached, trying not to alert whoever he was watching. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Everyone else must be up by now.”

You were saying how you like to sleep late. I just wanted to see how long you would go without someone else waking you. The fox’s words echoed quietly in my mind. That child down there ruined my experiment, but even so, you slept long past noon. He sounded oh so serious, but I knew that he was hiding his laughter, especially considering the amusement that lit his eyes. I guess that you’ve gotten too used to me waking you up every day.

“ Anyway , what is going on down there?” I sat on the floor next to him and scooted forward so that I could see past the edge of the balcony. “Last I checked, the leader of the Sins wasn’t named ‘Peliodas,’ and didn’t sound like a little boy.”

The fox shade just chuckled and gestured toward the ground with his nose. Just watch. This is hilarious; the kid has no idea who he’s talking to.

“I’m the Dragon Sin of Wrath! I’ll get as mad as I want!!” I glanced down to find a little blond boy shouting directly at Meliodas, pointing in the Dragon Sin’s face.

An even smaller boy with black hair and dark eyes rubbed two of his fingers together. “Let’s make them pay us a silver coin as a business fee!”

“Great idea, Fox Sin of greed!” Peliodas told him, a giant smile stretched across his face. “Clever!” I couldn’t help but notice Ban smile behind the pair.

“I’m tired of walking. I want to eat and lie down.” This came from another boy that was in the little group - one that was particularly chubby.

“V… very in-character, Grizzly Sin of Sloth!” The blonde boy clapped. Harlequin looked mortified from his place at their side.

I had to slap my hand to my mouth in order to stop myself from laughing at the spectacle. Luckily, the sound of my hand slapping to my face was drowned out by the cracking and snapping of tree branches breaking.

“Huh, are the boys back? Can I come out yet?” Diane’s appeared from the trees that edged the back of the Boar’s Hat, and her hand, which wrapped around the top of the building, loudly snapped the chimney clean off the roof. I almost jumped out of my skin at the action, because she had appeared right next to where Zephyr and I were hiding. I couldn’t stop my squeek of surprise, which made her look to the platform that Zephyr and I sat on. “Oh, Zinnia! You’re up!”

“G… GIANT!!!” The kids down below were screaming, drawing Diane’s attention away from me. “SH… SHE’S GONNA EAT US!!”

“I’D NEVER EAT A HUMAN!!” But Diane’s fierce face and loud voice from her shouting just frightened the children more.

“If… If you’re going to eat any of us, just make it me!” This came from the eldest of the group, who appeared to me more of a teenager or a young adult, rather than a child. He was super skinny, had long, messy pink-purple hair, and wore glasses. And, judging by the little blond boy’s tearful shouts, his name was Armand.

“I TOLD YOU! I’M NOT GOING TO EAT ANYBODY!!” Diane’s shouts didn’t seem to be getting through to any of the kids.

As though oblivious to it all, Meliodas spoke quietly to himself. “She broke the chimney again.”

With all that was going on, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Loudly. I didn’t care at this point if they saw me, though. It was just a bunch of kids being ridiculous; no reason to hide myself. From beside me, I could feel Zephyr shaking with his laughter, and it resonated in my head.

“C’mon,” I said through my tears, before levitating the fox into the air and floating down to the ground with him at my side. “This looks like fun.”

* * *

“I’m sorry. We really didn’t mean any harm,” Armand was saying to Ban. He was scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

Ban leaned against the side of the Boar’s Hat beside him. “It’s good to play pranks, but just don’t impersonate The Seven Deadly Sins. The Holy Knights would have your heads for it.”

“R-right.”

Curiously, I glanced at Armand. I couldn’t help but feel that he looked slightly familiar. I just couldn’t tell what from. It wasn’t his voice or demeanor that made me feel like this, but his face, and only then for split seconds when he was shifting between expressions. It was just enough for me to catch a feeling of familiarity. I just couldn’t put my finger on it, though. I looked to Zephyranthes, who sat beside me on the porch of the Boar’s Hat, to see if I could tell if he felt the same way, but if he did, he showed no sign of it.

A thunderous rumbling sound suddenly rolled in the distance, causing me to shoot into the air; I had been so engrossed in my thoughts that I was caught completely unawares. After the rumbling had calmed down, it was followed by howling that echoed through the surrounding mountains, which nearly drowned out the creaking of the nearby town’s windmills.

When I realized that the howling wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, I looked to Zephyr - an automatic response of mine - and found that he had only risen to his paws. He was looking around, but was focused on what the others were talking about.

“...Is the ground rumbling?” One of Diane’s hands was cupped around her ear as she looked in the direction that the sound had originated from.

Meliodas also glanced that way. “Isn’t that just some wind howling through caves on the mountain?”

“Who knows?” Armand watched the group. “It’s been making that sound for years now. The villagers all say it’s the voice of the God of the Mountain.”

Whatever it is, I don’t like it, Zephyr growled before adding quietly, Something feels... off in the connections in this area. His words made me think of the fox shade ability to sense and follow connections - the ability he had told me he had used to find me when Elizabeth and I had been kidnapped in Byron.

Armand looked to Zephyr. His gaze lasted longer and was more intense than it should have been, had he only heard a growl. When he noticed me looking at him, he quickly turned away. He can hear Zephyr. It wasn’t even a question in my mind. But, humans of that age can almost never hear a fox shade. In my thousands of years, there have only been a handful of exceptions to this. So, is he an exception, or…?

Meliodas and the others perked up only seconds before I did. I could feel something in the distance - some kind of magic. I had never really trained myself to discern magic, so I couldn’t really tell anything about it other than that it was strong.

“Captain…” Harlequin was looking in the direction of that the magic was coming from when he spoke. “That strong magic power I feel coming from the mountain… You don’t think it’s coming from whoever’s behind this howling, do you?” He looked tense and worried.

“No, this feels like a human. It may be a Holy Knight,” came Meliodas’ serious response.

Ban then added in some details. “And there’s not only one of them. I count two… three… four. It’s a jumble, so I can’t say for sure, but there’s five or six of them.”

I, meanwhile, just nodded along as though I already knew what they were talking about. I was really glad that they could tell so much just from the magic, seeing as how, with my sense of it, the magic could be from anything from a few humans to a horde of demons and I probably would hardly be able to tell the difference at this point.

From the direction of the town, a man’s voice called out. “Hey, you kids! I’ve been looking for you! So this is where you were! You can’t go into the woods!” That was when he caught sight of the group that the kids were with. “Eek! A giant?!”

“Oh, no need to fear,” Peliodas told the man. “She’s our friend.”

“Why is everyone always so scared of giants, anyway?” I quietly asked Zephyr beside me. “I mean, they’re just another race. No one sees a fairy and begs to not be killed, but as soon as they see a giant, they think they’ll be eaten. Giants don’t even eat humans, do they?”

Simply put, discrimination and stereotyping. He looked to me when he spoke. Giants are associated with fighting and war, not to mention that they’re much larger than humans and, therefore, scary. Fairies, on the other hand, are associated with nature and magic. They’re also usually child-sized or smaller, so humans tend to think of them as pretty or cute. He turned back to what was happening in front of us. That’s what I believe from what I’ve gathered over the years, at least.

“-they’re after some pretty villainous folks.” I just barely managed to catch the end of what the man from the village had been saying.

Oops, I realized, I should’ve been listening to that, shouldn’t I?

Harlequin and Ban quickly huddled around their captain and started murmuring worriedly. I could only make out the words “... they mean us…?” from Harlequin, “Most Likely,” from Meliodas, and “...pain in the ass~... tracked us…?” from Ban. From those snippets, though, I could pretty much guess what had been said, though: someone around here was looking for The Seven Deadly Sins - probably Holy Knights.

While the were grouped up, I noticed that the little kids attempting to slip away. They were going out of their way to make sure that Armand didn’t notice their departure. I thought to stop them, but decided against it. Who was I to tell them what to do? I was never good with kids anyway; that was Zephyr’s forte.

“Ummm, is anything the matter?” Armand stepped back into the conversation.

“No no, nothing at all.” Meliodas pushed the huddle apart before answering. “Well, we’ve gotta get going, so watch after your little friends.”

“Oh, of course,” the bespectacled man said with a smile, before turning in the direction of where the kids had previously been. “Master Pelio? Master… Pelio?” He just stared into the blank space, dread slowly filling his features.

Perhaps I should have said something...

Bonus 1: First Day of Work (pt.1)

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? You’re already wearing the uniform.”

“But… Do I really have to do a twin act?” I took the proffered serving tray from Meliodas. The mischievous grin on his face made me want to smack him. Hard.

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, pausing in his duty of cleaning down the bar. “It’s not my fault that your human form looks like Elizabeth.”

“I’d do just as well in my fairy form, thank you very much.”

“But you don’t like showing your wings to everyone, do you?” He looked pointedly from my exposed wings to the cloak that sat, folded, on the stool next to me. “And you wearing that while serving won’t do very well to attract customers.”

“I-” But I couldn’t really say anything against what he had just said. I looked shamefully to the bar that I had my elbows propped on, quieting my voice. “I’m trying to be better about it... It’s hard to change a mindset that I’ve had for so long... Fine,” the last word was louder. “I’ll do it. But no one better be touching me.”

“Of course.”

* * *

Even in the crowded tavern, I could hear Zephyr’s chuckle from across the room. I can’t believe Meliodas-sama talked you into this. You know that he wouldn’t have done anything to you if you had said no, right?

I wanted to retort so badly, but a fake smile stretched across my face as I set down a meat pie on the table in front of me. “Here’s your order! Oh! Do you need any refills on your ale?”

“Yesshh pleeassse,” one of the very drunk men at the table slurred. It was very obvious to me that he didn’t need any more to drink. Perhaps I would water it down - he wouldn’t notice. Meliodas wouldn’t be very happy with me, though.

I turned just in time to see Elizabeth, who was serving the table next to mine, slip, dropping her tray of food in the process - for about the fourth time today . Knowing that she wasn’t fast enough to catch it, I dove forward, stopping the falling food with my levitation in the same moment to give myself some extra time, and caught it. “Careful Nee-chan . I’m sure customer-sama would really appreciate not having to wait for another...:” I looked at the food in my hands. “...chicken and potatoes plate to be made.” I set the food on the table, not even attempting to hand it back to the princess.

During all this, I kept the smile plastered on my face, and I felt my voice raise a few notches through the sentences. I had never done work like this before in my life.

Elizabeth’s face was red from the embarrassment of messing up, and she opened her mouth to speak, but the bell that signalled the door opening jingled at just that moment. We both turned toward the front of the shop and spoke loudly, and slightly out of sync. “Hello! Welcome to the Boar’s hat!”

“Sit wherever you want,” I said by myself to the new customers.

Elizabeth followed up. “Someone will be with you in just a moment!”

“Mizzzz,” the customer that I had served the meat pie just a moment ago spoke. “My ale - you zzzaaid yoou woouuuld…” His words became incomprehensible at this point, but I knew what he was asking.

“Yes, yes, of course, your refill.” I ground my teeth. “I’ll be right back with it.”

But as I turned to head to the back to get a new tankard of ale, I felt something brush against my short skirt. I jumped slightly and looked back to find Meliodas there, holding the wrist of a drunken man’s outstretched hand. “Tut, tut. No touching the servers.”

It would’ve been so much cooler, had he not been using his free hand to fondle Elizabeth.

* * *

“Uggghhh…” I face-planted into my bed, simultaneously transforming back to my fairy form. “That was awful ! How can anyone do that almost every day?!”

No clue. The fox’s words were punctuated by small laughs, and a smile covered his face. When I just shot a glare his way, he did his best to take a deep breath, stop smiling, and smother his laughs. If you hating being a waitress so much, why don’t you try to find something else to do around here? Surely there must be something.

I sat up, contemplating. “That does sound like a good idea! But what? Ban cooks. Harlequin buys ingredients. Hawk cleans up spills, and Meliodas cleans the tables. Diane and Elizabeth gather ingredients, while the boys hunt. What’s left…?” Truthfully, I couldn’t think of anything.

Well, what are you good at? He gave me a slight nudge. What are some skills you have?

“Not much,” came my automatic response. The fox shade gave me a skeptical look, so I tried harder. “Well, I’m good at swimming, but that doesn’t do anything for me. Animals like me and I’m pretty in touch with nature, as is obvious by both my being a fairy and the fact that I’m talking to you right now. I have most of the abilities that all fairies have, plus some that only a few have. I’m okay at sewing… I can draw… somewhat well? I’m okay at cooking, but Ban already does that, and far better than me. I’m pretty good at finding stuff, but that would be used to find ingredients, which Diane and Elizabeth already do. Ummm…”

Anything else?

“Baking…? I can bake, or, I could.” When I noticed Zephyranthes eyeing my pointedly, I quickly added, “But that was over a thousand years ago! Who knows if what I learned back then even translates over to now? I haven’t even used a modern oven before. And I’m certain that Ban could bake anything that I could, and make it better at that…”

You never know until you try. The fox stood from his place beside me and he trotted over towards the door.

I got up from my bed, confused. “Where are you going?”

I was just thinking that, since the tavern’s closed for the day, now’s probably a good time to check if you’re still any good at baking. He glanced at me out of the side of his eye and licked his lips. Hmmm, I think that muffins sound pretty good right now. His tail swished as he disappeared out the door and down the stairs.

“ Muffins , really?! I know you don’t like muffins!” I called after him, trailing him out of the room.

(To be continued in First Day of Work Pt.2)

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: The Exhausted Fox

“D… don’t tell me they’re headed for the mountain?! Master Pelioooo!!” Worry pierced Armand’s voice. His lanky figure shrank into the distance as he sprinted into the forest after the missing children.

“What should we do?” Meliodas looked after the pinkette curiously.

“Leave ‘em. Not even Holy Knights would hunt some little kids~” Ban said, also watching Armand’s disappearing form.

“I’d hope not… I hope nothing happens to them…” I couldn’t help thinking about how I had seen them leaving and said nothing. I’d never be able to forgive myself if they ended up getting hurt, or worse.

Just then, a shout came from the direction of the village. “Everybody, come here!!” I, along with the sins around me, looked towards the source of the voice.

“Zephyr, stay here,” I said, hopping into the air to follow Meliodas, Ban, and Harlequin, who had all started making their way towards the village to see what the cause of the commotion was. The fox shade turned to follow me, though.

Not this time. I’m coming with you. His determination resounded in his voice. I may not be able to move in shadows, but I’m not only my powers. I’m sure I can be of some kind of use, even if it’s just to run for help. And, if I’m with you and everyone else, I’m certain that what happened in Byron won’t happen again. I don’t want to be left behind anymore.

“Okay, fine,” I sighed. “But hurry up; we’re being left behind.”

Staying at a moderate speed so that Zephyranthes’s trot could keep up with me, I did my best to catch up to the group. As we followed the sloping path edged with fields of crops, we passed by a few townsfolk headed in the same direction, who only spared a second to shoot curious glances at me and the fox at my heels. Ther attention was mostly directed at my uncovered wings, rather that my companion, though. The few trees that had surrounded the Boar’s Hat were now gone, and only open fields dotted with windmills surrounded us. From my vantage point - about a foot or two in the air - I could see trails cut through the swaying grass around us leading in different directions - mostly towards town. I glanced back at my companion to find that he was panting heavily from the exercise - he was so used to only moving any distance through shadows that he had almost no stamina. But, I could tell from his expression that he wasn’t even thinking of stopping; he would go with me as far as I went. I smiled as I faced ahead of us again and lowered myself closer to the ground, and I noticed that Zephyr and I were catching up to the sins, but that seemed to be because the had slowed down, and were nearing a stop.

“One of the Holy Knights has come down off the mountain!” came a voice from up ahead. “He’s badly hurt!!” A group of about ten people were surrounding a form on the ground, which was where Meliodas, Harlequin, and Ban appeared to be heading, so I made my way over there.

When I approached the group of villagers to get a look at what they were looking at, I found that it was, in fact, the Holy Knight they had been speaking of. He was lying face up on the ground, staring into space. Blood covered his face and stained his armor. I would have thought him dead, were he not mumbling something.

“Just hang on!” The people around him continued speaking. “What happened out there?!”

Just then his mumbles got louder, so that I could finally make out what he was saying. The words he spoke were broken and filled with wheezing. “The… The entire knighthood… was wiped… out… The Roars of Dawn… are fighting… Armor… Giant… That… monster… in armor… there’s no… defeating it… Stop!! S… Stay back… Aah… AAAH…!! THE MONSTER IN ARMOR!!!” He slumped over, suddenly silent.

“H-Holy Knight-sama!”

“It’s no use…” The villagers spoke among themselves.

Did he just… die? I couldn’t help but wonder. The knight had stopped moving, and his eyes had glazed slightly, permanently marking his face with his final moments of terror.

“Armor Giant…?” Harlequin held his chin in thought.

“And what’d he mean by… a monster in armor?” Ban was also curious.

“Uh, Captain?!” Harlequin exclaimed this because Meliodas had silently turned around and started walking away, back in the direction of the Boar’s Hat. The other two swiftly made their way after him.

Feeling sorry for Zephyr, I landed on the ground next to him and followed the group at a leisurely walk. The fox had only just gotten his breath back, so I didn’t want to force him to speed up, especially since this way, the going was uphill.

By the time that I made it to the tavern, I could hear Meliodas’ voice drifting out the windows. “...It’s gotta be him. The Goat Sin of Lust, Gowther!”

I paused. “Is it just me, or have I heard that name before?” I asked myself, not expecting any kind of answer.

You probably… just saw it… on one of the wanted posters… Zephyr panted at my side. I know I saw it there. He limped up to where the building cast a short shadow and flopped down in the shade.

“Well, yeah… but I also feel like… Nevermind…” I gave up, shaking my head. Zephyranthes wasn’t even listening anymore. “Told you that you should’ve stayed behind,” I muttered quietly, but he flicked his ear, indicating that he had heard my words.

* * *

Diane was leaned over to better hear her Captain’s words when she exclaimed, “YOU’VE FOUND GOWTHER?!”

“I don’t have any proof, but the armor giant that the Holy Knights are after might be him.” The way that Meliodas said this was breezy, noncommittal.

“I see… Gowther was also a pretty big guy. All right! Let’s hurry up and go rescue him!” She clenched her fists, excited for the rescue mission.

But Meliodas cut her off. “Diane! You and Zinnia-chan stay here and protect Elizabeth! Can I count on you?”

“Captain…” The giantess hesitated for a moment, but then she brightened. “Of course! You can count on me!”

During this exchange, I had been listening from the side, nodding along at points as I considered what was said. That is, up until it was said that I was staying behind. “H-hey! Why am I staying behind?!” Well, I knew why, but I had been expecting to go. I wanted to try to help, even if it was just from the sidelines. Though, the main reason that I wanted to go was that I wanted to figure out why the name “Gowther” sounded familiar to me. It wasn’t the only thing recently either; there was also that voice in the market in Vaizel, along with Armand’s face. I wanted to figure out what was going on, and I felt like I would be able to figure it out if I went with them on this mission.

“Hey, what’s with all the yelling? You’ll wake up our patient. Have some common courtesy!” I hadn’t even heard Hawk exit the tavern. Behind him, Elizabeth stood in the doorway, coughing.

“Meliodas-sama? Where are you going?” she asked in between coughs while holding her hand over her mouth.

I had almost forgotten that the princess had gotten sick recently, what with the whole thing with the Holy Knight dying and one of the Sins possibly being nearby.

“Elizabeth-chan, you shouldn’t be up.” Hawk looked over his shoulder to tell her this.

“Just to the mountain. I’ll be right back.” Meliodas answered Elizabeth’s question, completely ignoring mine.

“Then I’ll come, too-”

“Now, now. You’ve got a cold, so get some sleep. Kay?” Meliodas stopped her. They were both completely silent for a moment, staring at each other, during which time I just looked between the two, curious as to what was going through their heads. What broke the silence was Elizabeth’s sudden blush. Her entire face turned beet-red, making Meliodas approach and lay his hand across her forehead. “Hmm…? Would you look at that. You’re burning up!”

* * *

They had managed to leave without me. Of course. When I had tried to follow after them as they were leaving, Meliodas had just given me a sharp look, which had given me pause. Surprisingly, Zephyr had then agreed with the captain of the sins that we should stay here.

“I can’t believe you agreed with him!” I said to the fox, who was pacing back and forth on the other side of the tavern, stretching. “Aren’t you the one who’s always trying to go everywhere with everyone? I’m sure we would’ve been just fine.”

His only response was a slight Hn, which I couldn’t even tell what he meant by. All he’d been doing since the others had left was pacing and stretching, along with occasionally sniffing his still-bandaged side. Now, though, he stopped and sat down, giving himself a satisfied nod.

“What are you even doing, anyway? Aren’t you tired from earlier?” I tilted my head in curiosity, my hair falling in my face from the action. I was still annoyed, but I was just as confused.

You know, neither of us are good at head-on attacks. He seemed to dodge the question. Actually, fox shades are practically much made for assassinations and spying. But if we had gone with them, we would have been put right in the thick of it. I think - He dug his teeth into the bandage on his side, tearing it off with a ripping sound - that we would be more useful in a sneak attack, after they’ve already hurt their opponents.

My eyes went wide as realization dawned on me. “You’re going to take us there through the shadows?” I lowered my voice, worried that if anyone heard, they might try to stop us. “Are you sure you’re well enough?”

I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. I wasn’t too sure about the authenticity of that statement of his, but I didn’t interrupt. The reason I went with you earlier was to see if my wounds opened from the trip to town. Since they didn’t, I highly doubt that they will from going through the shadows a few times. Even if they do, it won’t be as bad as before; it’s only the one that would open, and it’s an old wound.

“Sooo… you made that speech about not only being your powers so that you would get a chance to see if you could use your powers again…?” When he didn’t respond I just sighed and went on. “So, when are we going?” I scooped up my wadded up cloak from the table in front of me and stood, facing my companion.

Now’s a good a time as any. Now, since I can’t sense my connections with others very easily, I’ll just use your connection to Meliodas-sama to try to track down his location… He stared at me. It felt like he was looking into my soul, he was staring so long. When I started to get a little fidgety, he finally spoke again. Found him. Now, I’m going to send us a little ways away from him, so that we can hopefully sneak up on the enemy through the surrounding area. Judging by the direction, they’re up on the mountain, so they at least shouldn’t be in any open plains where we’d be easily visible.

“Got it.” I nodded. I was mentally preparing myself to go through the darkness that was the shadows when he spoke again.

I’m only going to be able to open a portal like that for a few seconds - the longer it’s open, the worse it is on my wounds, since opening a portal is worse for them than just being in the shadows because of the air and other things that pass through the portal just from it being open. There’s two problems because of this: the trip is gonna be one-way, and I won’t be able to check if the spot that I opened the portal is safe. That means that if I send us in the wrong direction, we could appear right in the middle of enemies, and I won’t be able to bring us back. It should surprise them, and they’ll be exhausted from the fight, so hopefully we’ll still have a bit of an advantage.

Do you still want to do this?

“Of course!” I practically shouted, before catching myself and repeating in a much quieter, hushed voice. “Of course. I trust you to get us there safely.”

Satisfied, he nodded. Okay, then. Get ready.

He stood up and padded over to me, or, more precisely, my shadow. As soon as he set his paw on my shadow, he slowly fell forward into it, darkness melting into the rest of the shadow. As soon as the shadow was the color of the night sky, I stepped forward into my own shadow and fell.

Darkness. Void. Nothingness. Silence. Then light, swiftly followed by sound.

The scent of blood hit me hard. Bodies of knights littered the ground in front of me. Meliodas and Ban were nowhere to be seen, but Harlequin floated not far ahead of me, a look of surprise on his face, as a shattered Chastiefol floated at his side. I wasn’t even certain that it had been surprise I had seen on his face, due to the fact that it was swiftly replaced with horror.

I felt more than heard Zephyr land next to me. Upon exiting the shadow, though, he froze. Z-Zinnia…

“What?” I turned to see whatever he was looking at, only to find a giant monster looming over us.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: A Failure of a Sneak Attack

The horror that I had first seen on Harlequin’s face had stricken deep into my heart before I could even comprehend the meaning behind what I was seeing. A giant red monster with four heads towered over me and Zephyr. In the center of the four eyeless faces, the upper body of a man was lodged in the flesh. He appeared to be unconscious, but his expression was pained. The monster that he was a part of, on the other hand, was very much so not unconscious. Something akin to bloodlust radiated from it, accompanied by… demon energy? Something about the feeling that this thing gave off made it feel like a demon, yet also not.

Before it had a chance to strike, some kind of instinct kicked in and I dropped my cloak. “Dyrnwyn Third Form: Spider Silk!” I shouted, whipping the fabric at the beast before it was engulfed in glowing light and transformed. With a flick of my fingers, clear threads thinner than hair swarmed around the beast, tightening around it like a net.

The demon tried to lift an arm, but the threads cut into it, causing lines of blood to form. When moving didn’t work, one of its mouths started to crack open in my direction.

Zinnia, we need to move ! Came Zephyr’s voice, but it was drowned out by another.

“ Zinnia-san!! ” Harlequin cried behind me.

At just that moment - before I could even make to dodge whatever it was the monster was doing - Meliodas shot out of nowhere, slashing at it with a sword that wasn’t his. This caused the monster to stagger back slightly and close its mouth. But, instead of deterring it, this only angered the beast. One of its other mouths opened, releasing a stream of steaming liquid from it. The thick, dark fluid melted the shield in Meliodas’ non-sword-wielding hand immediately upon contact, forcing him to throw the shield away.

In the middle of these heartbeats, Zephyr and I made our way a little ways away - hopefully out of range of the creature’s attacks. Guessing that it was probably safe near where Harlequin was floating, I lead Zephyr over there. As I moved, I flicked my hand again, tightening the strings that I had wound around the monster, in order to make sure it couldn’t escape from Dyrnwyn’s hold.

Before I could even fully turn back to see what was happening, Meliodas leapt back from the beast, landing beside me.

“ What are you doing here?? ” Meliodas exclaimed unhappily. “I thought I said that you were staying behind at the tavern!”

I crossed my arms. “Well I never agreed to that.” I puffed out my cheeks and tilted my head away, trying to pretend that I was offended or that I was at least strong-willed, but on the inside I was terrified. Why did I even come here?! I’m in way over my head! I tucked a length of hair behind my ear. “I can be helpful! I restrained it - see?” I gestured to where the demon was struggling to try to free its arms from the tangle of threads. Each time it tried to move an arm, more dark blood poured down its body. I had been careful to avoid touching the human body with the threads, just to be safe, since I didn’t fully understand what was going on.

Sadly, as soon as I pointed out what I had done, some of the leftover acid from its previous attack dripped down from its lips, landing directly on a thick patch of thread. The acid ate directly through the strings, melting away the flesh underneath along with it. A series of snaps followed this, and the thread unraveled, falling to its feet.

“Oh, fu-” 

“Zinnia! You need to get out of here. Now. ” Meliodas commanded, before jumping back into the fray.

I yanked Dyrnwyn back towards me, transforming it back into a cloak in the process, but when it reached my side, I was quite distressed. “Dyrnwyn!! There’s holes all in it!” When I clutched the garment to my chest, the areas around the holes started to glow a faint green. “What’s happening?”

“It’s mending itself,” Harlequin said matter-of-factly. He was still watching the fight beside me, unable to join. The shattered pieces of his Chastiefol floating beside him were surrounded by a similar light to the one that marked my cloak.

Zinnia, we should go back to the Boar’s Hat, as Meliodas-sama said. The look in his eyes was regretful when I met his gaze. I know that I encouraged you and said that we could help, but this isn’t something that we can fight. I’m sorry for bringing you here… He sniffed the air and pointed his snout in a seemingly random direction. Come on, the tavern’s this way. He slowly started pacing away from the battle.

But I stayed stubbornly still. “No. I want to stay. I want to help fight. I refuse to be a burden!”

Zephyr stopped and looked back at me, frowning. I understand how you feel, but this is neither the time, nor the place to prove your worth. He raised his voice, making sure that Harlequin could hear him. Perhaps if you had listened to me and asked Harlequin-sama for lessons on using your spirit spear, then you’d be able to fight with them right now!

The other fairy’s eyes widened. “You were going to-”

“Enchant Hell Blaze!!” Meliodas’ shout cut into Harlequin’s words, and roars from the monster drowned even those out. The Captain of the Sins swung a sword that was coated in black fire at the beast, leaving a giant flaming gash down its front. Even when the blade was no longer touching it, the flames still remained burning on the monster’s flesh for a few moments.

“Black flames?!” Harlequin was so taken aback that he dropped our conversation. Sweat beaded his brow.

“That’s…” I hadn’t even noticed Ban join our bystanding group, a random whip in his hand. He narrowed his eyes. “Cap’n~ Drown him in that stuff!!”

“On it!” Came his captain’s reply. He was midleap, lunging at the demon, preparing to sweep the flaming sword right down its middle, when his face froze and the flames sputtered out.

“What’s going on?”

“Hurry up and finish him off!!” Ban’s shout drowned out my question. But one of the monster’s tongues wrapped around Meliodas, stopping his momentum. “You idiot!!”

Just as Ban moved to swing the whip he held at the monster, a loud crackling sound zipped by, followed by a beam of purplish light that shot directly through the monster’s body. This caused the beast to stagger back, pausing its movements.

“Ban, take this chance to nab the captain!!” Harlequin cried.

The Fox Sin didn’t have to be told twice. “Fox Hunt!” He flicked the whip forward, snatching Meliodas right out of the monster’s grasp, before catching his captain. “What are you doing, Cap’n?! You almost had him!”

But Meliodas was hardly listening. “That face at the center of the body… said something! I think it used to be a Holy Knight!”

I agree with Meliodas-sama. Zephyr’s words surprised me. He had returned from trying to go back to the tavern, but I could feel some reproach directed at me. It certainly has a feeling akin to the Holy Knights that you have faced up to this point. Only… something’s off…

But Ban, being a human, was unable to hear Zephyr. Not that his words would have been any different, had he been able to. “So what?! Just kill him already!”

“But he’s still alive!” Meliodas argued, and Zephyr nodded agreement.

“Don’t be so naive!”

Meliodas went quiet. Zephyr narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

“Are you fighting?” It was at this point that a young man walked up. He looked like the boy from earlier - Armand - only his hair was shorter and smooth, his face was devoid of emotions, and his shirt was torn to shreds. A giant bow that was made of the same energy-like substance as the beam that shot through the monster earlier floated on either side of his right hand.

Zephyr and I spoke at the same time.

Who are you?

“Gowther?”

Bonus 2: First Day of Work (pt.2)

“Hey, where’s the flour?” I asked Zephyr without looking up. I was currently on my hands and knees, scouring the lower cabinets for anything to make muffins with. I had already checked all the upper cabinets thoroughly, and just could not find one of the most important ingredients. The dimmed light of half the candles being snuffed out did not help with the search.

No clue. He shrugged as he poked his snout around a shelf on the other side of the room. I’ve never been in this room before, at least, not outside of the shadows. And I wasn’t exactly looking for flour when I was in the shadows.

“What were you doing?” I sat back on my knees, curious.

Oh, you know, exploring, eavesdropping, all that fun stuff. He shot a smirk my way before going back to sniffing along the shelves. I gave him an amused grin in response and went back to looking in the cabinet. Not that I heard anything interesting; it was mostly just Ban talking to himself as he cooked, or just him whistling. He started taking a few catching breaths and sneezed. I think I found the flour.

Suddenly, a thin light lit the entryway to the kitchen. “Well, well, well, what’s going on in here?” Meliodas stood in the open door, with a very tired looking Princess Elizabeth behind him. “I thought I heard something moving around down here, but I didn’t expect it to be you two pilfering the kitchen.”

“W-we’re not! Ow!” I had tried to sit up so suddenly from looking in the cabinet that I had banged my head on the counter. Sitting up more slowly, I rubbed my hand across the future bruise gingerly. “Zephyr suggested that, since I didn’t enjoy waiting tables, I should try to find something else to do to help out.”

“But don’t we already have Ban-sama cooking for us?” Elizabeth asked blearily as she rubbed her eyes. She didn’t look like she was all there right now.

“I’m not planning on cooking, though. I was gonna try to bake some muffins.”

“Isn’t that the same as cooking?” Meliodas seemed slightly confused. He set down the candle that he was holding on the counter and walked over to where Zephyr was struggling to get the flour off of a high shelf with his teeth without tearing the bag. Pulling a step ladder out from behind the shelf, he opened it up, stepped onto it, and easily plucked the flour off the shelf before setting it on the counter and putting the stool back. Zephyr just looked slightly annoyed at the fact that the blonde had gotten the flour down when he had been so close to getting it.

“Of course you would think that!” I ignored the interaction, though I silently thought that the fox’s frustrated face was hilarious. “You’ve got the worst skills in the kitchen that I’ve ever seen. I’m almost surprised that this place even has a kitchen, considering that you’re the one that built it. Anyway,” I went on, “I decided that I should try to make some muffins, just to see if I’m still any good at baking, seeing as how it’s been so long since I last baked.”

Ahem. Zephyr just looked at me pointedly.

“I mean, Zephyr thought that I should try to make some muffins. Though I don’t see why he decided on muffins! He always told me he didn’t like them!” The last two sentences were directed at the fox, but he pretended not to hear them as he busied himself looking for the next ingredient. Sighing, I turned back to Meliodas and Elizabeth, who were still standing idly near the door. “I’ve always seen Ban-san cooking, but never actually baking , you know? Not often, at least. So I just thought that, well…” I trailed off. With nothing else to do, I tucked a loose strand of my crimson hair behind my ear nervously.

“Well? Those muffins aren’t baking themselves~” Ban yawned from behind Elizabeth, making her squeak and jump into Meliodas.

“Ban-san?” When did he wake up? I wondered.

“Yo, Zinnia-chan~” He gave half a wave and, as though knowing my thoughts, answered my silent question. “You guys have been getting pretty loud down here. I’m sure that even Diane can hear you from outside.”

“Oh, sorry. I’ll try to be quieter,” I apologized. I knew that Zephyr was listening to the whole conversation, because his search for ingredients immediately became near-silent. After looking at the trio standing in the doorway for a moment, I awkwardly turned back to the pile of flour, eggs, bowls, and other assorted baking necessities that Zephyranthes had been laying out on the counter behind me.

As I picked up a particularly nice-looking metal bowl, I heard footsteps behind me. “Is there anything I can do to help?” came Meliodas’ voice.

Ban beat me to responding. “Nope~ The best thing you can do for her is to get out of the kitchen. You, too, Elizabeth~”

Meliodas began to protest, but he didn’t try too hard, and Elizabeth must have been too tired to say anything. I then just heard the sounds of shuffling feet as the group exited the room. But, before they were gone, I heard one set of footsteps pause, and felt a curious gaze on me. I glanced back to find Ban looking at me, to which I tilted my head questioningly. But, without saying anything, he just turned and followed after the others.

“Hey! We’re going to be waiting out here to try your muffins when they’re done!” Meliodas called back from the main room of the tavern.

“You’re gonna be waiting a while, then!” I shook my head in exasperation before turning back to Zephyr and lowering my voice. “Weeellll… That was fun. And now I’m going to have to let them taste the muffins when they’re done! What am I going to do? What if I end up making them taste really bad?”

Just don’t, was the fox’s only response.

* * *

I hadn’t realize that my audience had grown until I stepped out of the kitchen with a heaping plate of steaming blueberry muffins. Now, Harlequin and Hawk were also waiting with the group, and I was pretty sure that I could see Diane’s face lurking in the darkness just outside the window.

“W-why is everyone up? I thought it was just Ban-san, Meliodas-san, and Elizabeth…” I took a few tentative steps towards the gathering of people.

Hawk, who was staring excitedly at the food, said, “Even in my sleep, I’m able to smell leftovers from a mile away!”

To which Zephyr replied in annoyance, They’re not leftovers; they just came out of the oven… But the pig couldn’t hear this.

“I woke up because I no longer heard Ban’s snoring.” Harlequin yawned as he explained. While he was near the table that most of the sins lounged around, he was floating a couple of feet in the air, halfway curled around his pillow.

“Ha! You need me to snore to sleep at night~?” Ban laughed, revealing a toothy grin. Unlike the others, he was standing away from their table, leaned against the wall next to the bar.

“Wha-? No!” The fairy uncurled from the pillow. “I’m just used to it, that’s all!”

Diane, from her place outside the window, moved her face closer to the opening and spoke. “Well I hadn’t fallen asleep yet and was wondering why all of the lights were on again.”

Now that she had mentioned it, I noticed that the tavern was much brighter than when I had passed through it on my way to the kitchen. There were also a few empty tankards on the table and bar. They must have gotten bored waiting; baking takes a long time.

“Well, sorry for waking everyone up for this. The muffins are done now; I hope they’re good.” I set the plate in the middle of the table that Meliodas and Elizabeth were seated at before plucking two off the pile for Zephyr and me. “Sorry if they turned out bad. Oh,” I grabbed a third muffin, which had been set aside. It didn’t turn out the prettiest, but I was sure that its recipient didn’t mind. “Here, Hawk. Since you can’t reach the table…” And I set the muffin on the ground in front of him.

“ Really? ” the pig squealed excitedly before burying his snout in the treat. He spoke around a mouthful of blueberry-filled muffin. “Thank you!”

Should I mention that it was Zephyr’s idea to give him that one? Nah… Probably not the best idea to tell him how the fox shade had taken one look at the sad-looking muffin and immediately said, That one should go to the pig; he won’t even notice.

“Hmmm, not bad~” Ban said immediately after taking his first bite.

Everyone else just nodded along as they contentedly ate their muffins. Before I took a bite of mine, though, I realized that Diane hadn’t gotten one.

“Oh, here, Dia-”

“Do you want one, Diane?” Harlequin got to it first. “They’re really good.”

“Sure!” The giantess smiled as Harlequin retrieved a muffin for her. “Thanks, King!” Of course, this just caused the fairy to blush slightly.

Shaking off the interruption, I handed my extra muffin to Zephyr, who had decided to hop up on a chair at the table and sit down. “So, why muffins? I thought you hated them.”

I have no idea what you’re talking about. He took a bite out of the muffin in front of him, rejecting my notion of his dislike for them. 

“Well, you sure seemed unhappy when I made them for you and Kay.”

What? He paused in his chewing. Oh, well perhaps they were chocolate muffins at the time. You know how chocolate is poisonous for fox shades. Other than those ones, I always enjoyed your muffins. You always seemed to have so much fun while you were making them.

“Who’s Kay?” Elizabeth asked from her seat beside Meliodas.

“Oh, he’s just an old friend… He’s not around anymore.” I glanced away.

“Oh…” was her only response.

Trying to take my mind off of it, I finally took a bite of my muffin. It was perfectly sweet and the blueberry flavor blended nicely into the muffin itself. I was quite happy with it.

“Well,” Meliodas spoke, wiping the final crumbs off of his hands. “That was good! I think you found your job, Zinnia-chan.”

“Great!” I smiled. “Since I’m not waiting tables, can I wear something other than this uniform, then?”

“Nope!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: A Little Help

Even though the expression on Gowther’s face didn’t change, he tilted his head as though in curiosity when he looked at me. “Yes, that is my name.”

You know this person? Zephyr was looking at me strangely. He seemed almost confused.

“Is this really the best time for introductions?” Ban butted it.

“No… you’re right.” I shook my head. I could talk to Gowther later. As I focused back on the monster ahead of us, I smiled slightly, realizing that Meliodas wasn’t saying anything else about me leaving.

“The monster…” Harlequin murmured in surprise before getting louder. “It’s completely still. Did we defeat him?”

Gowther mechanically turned his head away from me, facing instead toward the creature. “Not quite. He has been taken by an illusion. That is my magical power: Invasion. He is currently under the impression that he is back in the scene of a far off day he has coveted.”

“You’re as crafty and indirect as ever, you jerk~” Ban sauntered up to Gowther. “Just kill him already~”

“I cannot kill him.” At this statement, Ban seemed taken aback. “He did not wish to be born like this. Therefore, I cannot kill him.”

I heard a slight sniff from beside me, and glanced over to find Zephyr looking intently at Gowther, his expression unreadable. It barely registered with me that he gave a miniscule nod.

Ban, on the other hand, frowned. “Tch. Who ever wishes to be born in the first place?” He reached out a hand toward the frozen monster, smiling lazily. “ Outta my way. I’ll kill him.”

But Meliodas grabbed his wrist. “Knock it off! There’s still a part left in him that’s human!”

To no one in particular, Gowther spoke. “If they are fighting… Is it because they are so close?”

Harlequin sweatdropped. “That’s not what I’d call fighting.”

Ignoring this, Gowther tilted his head. “Is being close… beautiful?”

“Come again?” was all that Harlequin could say.

That’s odd… I couldn’t help but thinking. This isn’t quite how I remember Gowther acting… Did his personality change? Or is this someone completely different, like Elizabeth? No, he seems the same… But why…?

“Don’t give me orders~” Ban’s words snapped me out of my thoughts. He flicked his free hand, in which he gripped a whip, forward, extending magic through the whip toward the monster and snatching the heart right out of the chest of the man trapped within it.

I wasn’t sure if anyone was looking at me, but if they were, they would’ve seen me stiffen and horror melt across my features. I had been hoping to save that man, whoever he was. I think I even felt my cheek dampen. “...why…?” I murmured almost silently.

Meliodas froze, and Ban snatched his arm away. “....Ban. Why… did you kill him?!”

Zephyr growled, anger clear on his face as he took an aggravated step towards Ban. We could have saved him!!

But, of course, Ban didn’t hear the fox, and responded only to his captain. “The bastard had become a monster. I just drew the curtains to a close on his miserable existence. You ought to be thanking me~”

“What about your own existence?!” the blonde retorted, anger in his eyes.

“Ooooh~ It’s the epitome of a miserable existence, so by all means, I wish you would draw the curtains to a close on it~”

“Both of you… listen!” Harlequin cut off their conversation. He looked nervous. “I think he’s murmuring something…”

Now that the others weren’t arguing and Harlequin drew my attention to it, I did notice that the man within the beast was quietly speaking. I strain my ears to make out the words, but I was just too far away.

“Even with his heart torn from him,” Gowther said in monotone, “he still sees the illusion. I wonder what kind of scene it must be that it could keep him under its spell despite his state.”

My curiosity getting the better of me, I took another half a step forward to try to hear the words. With my attention so focused on the sound, I didn’t even notice the man’s body slump when it went silent. I didn’t even have the chance to notice, as immediately after that, the monster, now free from its human part, roared deafeningly. My ears rang and, if I didn’t know better, I would probably say that my ears were bleeding.

“What’s going on?!” I could barely hear Ban’s question over the ringing in my ears. When I looked back to him, realization flooded his features. “Shit! He’s also a demon?!”

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, as I didn’t want to get strangled by an immortal. No shit. You just noticed? And what do you mean by ‘also’? I shook my head to try to get the white noise to go away, and it gradually faded. 

Even though the ringing had faded, that didn’t mean that the demon had stopped screeching. It continued to shout, and, as it did so, its four heads morphed and merged into one giant one, and its two arms ripped apart down their centers, separating into four. It was certainly an unnerving sight, and I could feel the contents of my stomach trying to make its way up my throat.

Fighting the feeling back down, I gasped. “What’s going on? Why’s it changing like that?”

But no one seemed to be listening to me.

“How’d a Holy Knight become a demon…?! What’s going on here?!” Ban was confounded as he took half a step back.

Harlequin was just as confused. “Is… Is that thing a demon?”

Meliodas’ brow furrowed. “I remember now… That face! He’s Dale… Ten years ago, he was still just a novice Holy Knight.”

Harlequin hovered over the Dragon Sin’s shoulder. “Dale…? Do you mean that doting father Dale? He’d always say he wanted to be like The Seven Deadly Sins and be the pride and joy of his daughter. Why did he end up like this?”

“It is unclear what happened to his body,” Gowther told us, “but he was chased by something into this forest.When his consciousness gave out and both mind and body were overtaken by this monster. He was on the brink of losing control, of that I am sure.”

“Don’t tell me, you did something about it…” Harlequin bobbed lightly in the air.

I nodded, agreeing with the other fairy’s question.

The pinkette glanced at me for a moment before turning back to Harlequin and continuing. “Yes. My armor is embellished with a seal that curbs magical powers and keeps them from going berserk. I bestowed my armor on him and hid him away in this forest.”

“So that’s what happened…”

Gowther looked away from him, toward the demon again. “Here he comes.”

Meliodas stood resolutely in front of the charging beast. “Wake up Dale!” he shouted. “Don’t you remember me?! You’re being manipulated by something!”

“Meliodas-san, stop!” In between shouting this, I swiftly moved away from the fighting, knowing that I was currently useless. “Ban-san already killed the human part of him!! He can’t hear you!!” I wanted so badly to rush forward to help, but I knew that I would only hinder those who actually could fight.

“What are you doing, you idiot?!” Ban jumped into the fray, knocking Meliodas out of the way. He turned to the demon, drawing his whip. “I’ll kill you dead!!”

While that would be terrifying for me, had he said that to me, the demon obviously wasn’t phased. It started throwing a flurry of punches, pulverizing Ban’s upper half, leaving only his legs intact. Then, it even knocked those away.

“BAAAN!!” The captain of the sins chased after him. “That’s enough!”

Harlequin flew in from behind, his arm raised. “Hit the dirt, Captain!” Immediately after the fairy said this, Meliodas dropped to the ground. “Fight Fire With Fire!!” An innumerable amount of Chastiefol’s increased form rained down around the demon, kicking up giant clouds of dust and dirt.

“Wait, when did Chastiefol finish repairing itself…?” I murmured from a distance away. I glanced over at my Dyrnwyn, which I still had floating next to me, only to find that it had stopped glowing; it was fixed. Giving only a sliver of a smile, I grabbed the cloak and clutched it tightly to myself. “Much better.”

But I still wanted to help. I wanted to have come here for a reason. What could I possibly do to help?

“Zephyr, what do I do…?” I asked the fox next to me, who already had his eyes narrowed in thought. “I don’t see how I could do anything to help anyone…” I could feel myself start to tear up a little. Why was I so useless?

The fox looked at me, then back to the demon, narrowing his eyes further. I think you’re thinking about it too much.

“W-what?”

He nodded toward the fight, where Harlequin had just been knocked away in a ball on venom. That thing looks pretty top-heavy doesn’t it?

“What are you-?” But realization dawned on me. “Oh!”

Tossing my Dyrnwyn in front of me, I tried to strengthen my resolve. “Dyrnwyn Third Form: Spider Silk.” The cloak transformed back into a giant tangle barely-visible threads. With a flick of my fingers, I sent it forward and coiled it around the demon’s ankles. It tightened quickly, yanking the demon’s legs together and making it wobble. “Someone hit it now!!” I shouted at te top of my lungs.

I guess that I had surprised everyone, as Ban, Harlequin, and Meliodas all looked at me, slight shock in their eyes. Ban, who had previously been speaking sternly to Meliodas, recovered the fastest. He sprinted forward and jumped right at the beast, hitting it right below where Dale’s body was.

In its unbalanced state, the demon was unable to accurately strike back at Ban, and it ended up getting knocked over, falling onto its back.

That was when someone else’s voice surprised everyone, including me.

“Meliodas-samaaaaaa!” I looked behind me to find Elizabeth cresting the hill, panting and gripping a sword to her chest.

“Elizabeth!” Meliodas’ voice was shocked.

“Thank goodness…” she breathed. “Here!!” She threw the sword toward the blonde.

“That sword’s…”

“Liz-san… didn’t want you to fight, Meliodas-sama. She wanted you to live!” she cried out. “Just like I do! If it’s so that you can fight for other people’s sake… if it’s for that sin ,then I’ll take the blame with you!”

Ban smirked when he spoke to his captain. “Are you sure about this?~ Letting her say all that…?”

But Meliodas had already jumped into the air, catching the thrown sword. “Forgive me, Dale.” He slashed down the sword on the collapsed demon, cutting fourn parallel slices down it from top to bottom. Then he sliced continuously back and forth, until slices mark almost the entire body of the demon. But I noticed how he had managed to avoid hitting Dale’s body.

“W… Wow!” Harlequin exclaimed from his spot on Gowther’s back. I hadn’t even noticed until now that Gowther was carrying the fairy. “His skin was like armor, and he sliced right through it like it was nothing!”

“Naturally.” Gowther didn’t seem surprised Meliodas’ strength.

Dropping to the ground, Meliodas sheathed the sword, and the demon immediately shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

Now that the threat was gone, I retracted Dyrnwyn to my side and returned it to its cloak form, and then I flew to where everyone was gathered. Zephyr, quiet as ever, trotted along at my side. He glanced up at me, grinning slightly. You better not take the credit for what you did completely for yourself!

I smiled back. “Of course not!” I set my hand on his head on his head and ruffled the fur. “Would I ever do that?”

But he just shook his head in annoyance at me messing his fur up.

“That was amazing, Captain!” Harlequin’s voice was filled with awe as Zephyr and I approached.

“King… I’m sorry you had to suffer because of me.”

“Not at all! I’m fine, don’t worry about me!”

“Hey guys! I helped this time, right?” I smiled as I entered the little ring of people. As I arrived, though, I noticed that Ban had wandered off into the remnants of the demon. “Zephyr gave me the idea, but I did it.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before scratching the back of my head.

Meliodas turned to me, his expression serious. “Yes, you helped. But! You should have left when I told you to. You shouldn’t have even come!” He softened slightly. “You could have gotten hurt.”

“Meliodaaaaassss, why do you always treat me like a kid?” I pretended to whine, though I was partially serious. “You know I’m older than most of the group.”

He closed his eyes and held one finger in the air in front of him. “Age does not determine one’s fighting strength.” Then he dropped his hands and smiled at me. “And I’m glad you finally dropped the -san. I don’t care for formalities.”

“Wait- I didn’t- You still use -chan with me!” I was so flustered - I was certain my face was beet-red.

But he just completely ignored my complaint and turned back to the others.

Harlequin, having been set down by Gowther, spoke up. “If Ban’s right, then do you really think humans can be turned into demons…”

“By curse…? Or…” Meliodas held his hand to his chin in thought. “...Maybe somebody put Dale through an experiment or ritual… or something.”

“Y… You… You don’t mean creating artificial demons, do you?!” Harlequin exclaimed in horror.

It certainly felt like he had been tampered with.

Meliodas and Harlequin turned sharply to look at the fox, causing him to flinch. “What do you mean?” Meliodas prompted.

W-well, fox shades can feel connections between people and things… I noticed when we arrived in this area that something seemed off with all of the townsfolk’s connections, so I assumed that whatever it was affecting them was also affecting the demon - Dale. But, upon closer inspection, the alterations were different. Like… Like someone else did the alterations. All the alterations of the connections in this area feel like they stem from that person over there. He nodded toward Gowther, who had turned to listen. Theirs all seem to be changed in the mind, I believe - it can be difficult to tell. Dale’s change, however, was made in the body, and his mind remained the same. He paused and seemed to stare off into space, then his gaze wandered, as though watching something. He stopped before speaking again. The connection is fading as his spirit fades, but whatever did this to him lies in that direction.

“What’s that way?” I asked.

Meliodas was the one to answer. “Liones.”

Bonus 3: Q&A

“Many of you have been asking questions about me and Zephyr, along with different things about our story. I thought I’d take the time to answer some of those questions.”

Who are you talking to, Zinnia?

She ignored his question as she pulled a set of notecards out of seemingly nowhere. “Let’s see, let’s see… The first question here is ‘What is your relationship to Meliodas?’ Oh, I remember that there was one related to this…” She started to flip rapidly through the cards before pulling out a slip of paper. “This one’s ‘What did you used to call Meliodas?’ You could say that he’s kinda like an older brother to me, but not exactly. It’s hard to explain, just like my relationships with almost everyone else. You’ll probably figure it out eventually - especially if I ever see Onii-chan again. I’m not sure if I’ll ever say what I used to call him, though; it’s pretty embarrassing. I guess you’ll have to see.”

Zephyr climbed up onto the bed beside her and looked at the papers in her hand. Where did these come from? You’re acting like someone else wrote them, but they’re in your handwriting… He tilted his head before sitting down.

“I don’t know, I just have been feeling like we’ve been being watched ever since right before we met up with Meliodas and the group. Thought I’d answer some questions they might have.” She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear before flipping to the next card.

I think you’re going insane. He shook his head and sighed. Guess I’ll play along, if it’ll make you stop this sooner.

Zinnia didn’t look at him, but instead smiled and looked to the next card. “This one’s interesting. ‘I’ve read somewhere that fairies each smell like a different kind of flower. What do you smell like?’ Hmmm, I’ve never really thought of that. It’s kinda hard to tell what you smell like-”

Honeysuckle.

“What?”

You smell like honeysuckle. The fox shade told her, looking up at her face. You always have.

“Oh, why has no one told me before?”

I guess that it just never came up. I never realized that you didn’t know.

“Okay, then. It’s good that I like honeysuckle, then. What’s the next one? ‘I really like Zephyranthes-kun. Does he have any hobbies?’” Zinnia looked pointedly at Zephyr. “Well do you?”

What? Why are you asking about me? And why did you write these like someone was asking you the question? He sounded thoroughly confused, and flicked his tail back and forth to show it.

“I thought you said you’d play along?”

He sighed, Fine. No, I don’t have any hobbies.

“ Really ?” the fairy pressed. “Not anything ?”

He hesitated before sighing again. I do like to collect things that catch my interest.

“Like rocks.”

Not just rocks!

“You’re right; shiny things, too.”

More than that! Like, like…

Smirking mischievously, Zinnia slowly stood from the bed and walked across the room, where a pile of mostly dust-covered boxes laid. She reached for one towards the edge of the mound - one that had less dust on it than the others.

Zinnia, what are you- Wait! Why are you- He jumped up from the bed to follow her, but she had already lifted the box. Underneath the box was an open space filled with a variety of stones, shiny things, and trinkets. Bits of river-smoothed glass twinkled from between ancient coins and random scraps of colorful fabrics and ribbons.

“It’s a nice stash you’ve got going here, Zephyr.” She carefully set the box back down as he pawed, embarrassed, at his face.

I thought I’d hidden it well… What’s your next question? He changed the topic.

“‘How old are you and Zephyr?’ Kinda rude to ask a girl that, don’t you think?” The fairy began to amble back to the bed, sitting back down when she arrived.

Zephyr just shook his head in disbelief. You’re the one who wrote these questions, so it’s your fault if they’re rude. He sighed before stalking off across the room and beginning to look through some boxes.

“I’ll just say that we’re pretty old. I’m older than Zephyr, but not by much, at least as far as a fairy’s concerned. Oh, speaking of that: ‘How come, if you’re only half fairy, you’re always referred to as a fairy?’ That’s because I tend to think of myself as one. I think that my life would be a lot more difficult if I referred to myself using my other heritage!”

She paused, scratching at the corner of one of the cards - they were stuck together. “Come on… Why do these always get stuck?” Catching her nail on the edge, she finally managed to separate them, but, in doing so, made the stack go flying. “Crap!” scrabbling to find all the cards, she gathered them off the floor and put them back into a tidy stack. Gathering her composure, she continued. “Here we go… ‘Hey, Zinnia, I’ve noticed that you don’t normally curse, but you did - or almost did - twice recently. Care to explain?’ Now that you mention it… I see what you’re talking about. You see, I don’t normally like to curse, but sometimes in stressful situations, like in the middle of a fight or if I’m injured, I can’t really help it.”

Just then, Zephyr walked back across the room, climbed back onto the bed beside Zinnia and nudged her hand with a card. Here, you missed one. Are you almost done?

“Thanks.” She took the card without even looking at it. “And almost; just a few more. Hmmm… ‘Where are the other fox shades?’ I actually have no clue. I’ve only ever met two: Zephyranthes, and a female named Iris. She was Onii-chan’s companion. Though I think I saw a couple others wandering around the Fairy King’s Forest when I was young. What about you, Zephyr? Do you know of the whereabouts of other fox shades?” She looked to the fox, who had laid his head on the cushions of the bed and slit his eyes.

No, the words were quiet, hushed. I only ever met Iris and my family, though most of my family died before I met you. I don’t know where any others would be… He tilted his head away.

With a look of concern in her eyes, the ginger fairy quickly lifted the cards again, flipping to the next one. “On a brighter note: ‘What was it like growing up in the Fairy King’s Forest?’” She paused, staring off into space, remembering. “It was generally fun. I didn’t originally know that I was half-demon, so I didn’t have anything to hide. I got to play games and explore all day, and Onii-chan and his friends spoiled me when they weren’t busy. Though it was lonely, being the only actual child there. Everyone else came into existence fully grown, lacking only their wings, while I had to start from nothing. I started out playing with some of the smaller fairies, but as I grew, I came to be unable to play many of the same games as them. And by the time that I got to be the size of the larger fairies - the size I am now - they were all…” She trailed off, gazing into the distance, before drawing herself back in. “And they all treated me like a kid! I was the same age as a lot of them, but we aged differently, so they came to see me eternally as a child. They always treated me like that, even when it reached the point that no one would be able to tell that I was any different just by looking at me. Only two people didn’t treat me like that: Zephyr and my best friend at the time. The same best friend that destroyed one of my hearts…

“Umm… so ‘How tall are you?’” She quickly read from the card, trying to banish unwanted memories. “It’s been awhile since I last measured, but I think I was four feet and eleven inches tall. I’m not certain though. Oh, final one!” She squinted at the paper, confused. She muttered quietly, “I don’t remember writing this…”

What does it say? Zephyr tilted his head up from where he had been reclining on Zinnia’s wadded up cloak.

“‘ Did anyone actually ask these questions? ’ Zephyr, did you write this? It isn’t in my handwriting, and only half of it is legible. You probably had to hold the pencil in your mouth, didn’t you?”

He completely dodged the question. Oh, I know the answer to that one. No. No one asked any of these questions.

“Zeppphhhhyyyyrrrrrrrr… why do you have to try to ruin the fun?” Zinnia drooped, spilling the cards across the bed.

It wasn’t all fun… He flicked his tail for emphasis.

Before Zinnia could say anything else, the door to the hallway creaked open and a voice sounded. “I was sent to tell you that Ban has finished cooking. What are you doing?” Gowther, who had only recently rejoined the Sins, tilted his head, though not even the slightest bit of curiosity shone in his eyes.

“N-nothing!” Zinnia quickly scooped up the cards and shoved them under the covers of the bed, while Zephyr hopped down. “We’ll be right there.”

He only stared for a moment before closing the door. When I heard his footsteps retreat down the stairs, I sighed.

...Crazy… Zinnia just barely heard Zephyr mutter as he trotted, smiling, towards the door.

“Who are you calling crazy!” She called after him as she began to follow. “You, you…” But she couldn’t find anymore words for him before starting down the steps to the tavern, where dinner and friends waited.

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: Forgetting and Remembering

While those moments at the end of the fight had been quite dark, the mood lightened dramatically upon arriving back at the tavern. Ban - being him - immediately started drinking. In fact, he had wandered off at some point during the trip back, and had reappeared with a new set of clothes. I really hadn’t the slightest clue as to how he somehow always managed to find a new set of the same outfit in the same size every time that his were destroyed, but I didn’t feel like asking about it. Of course, as soon as we got back Hawk started pleading for food, causing Zephyr to glare at him and Diane to scold him for bad manners. This, in turn, caused Elizabeth to tell Diane how her sitting cross-legged was also bad manners.

I sighed and closed my eyes, shaking my head lightly. It may have been a little thing, but I enjoyed sitting cross-legged back when I was younger and my usual outfit included a pair of poofy pants. This tiny skirt that was a part of the uniform that Meliodas made me wear didn’t allow for that, and in fact often made me uncomfortable flying any distance above the ground if I was near people. Perhaps my next outfit would include pants again. Then I would sit cross-legged all I wanted, no matter what the princess might say.

“NO?!”

The chorus of many voices snapped me out of my reverie. I looked up from the table that I was leaning against, seeing that everyone - excluding Meliodas and Zephyr - was gathered around Gowther on the other side of the small clearing in front of the tavern. Other than Gowther, they all appeared distressed.

“This is not our first time ‘meeting’ each other. We’ve met before, when you were very young.” Gowther stood stock-still as he spoke, his head tilted slightly downward to accommodate Elizabeth’s height.

Hmm? What’s going on? I hopped up from the stool I was sitting on and wandered closer to the others, and Zephyranthes shadowed me, staying directly behind me.

“He’s got a point,” Ban murmured thoughtfully. “She probably spent a lot of time by the king’s side as a tiny squirt~ That must explain it~”

Diane, however, just gave a short, uncertain laugh. “I don’t really remember…”

Harlequin didn’t seem to be paying attention to that, though. He was floating right next to Gowther, and held his hand in front of his mouth as though whispering something, but I didn’t quite catch it. It was probably something about the way he had spoken to Elizabeth, as a second later Gowther spoke to her again. “Pardon me, ‘Your Highness.’”

She didn’t seem bothered by anything he might have said, and instead asked a question. “Did I… meet Meliodas-sama back then, too…?”

“...Maybe.” Meliodas answered for Gowther as he approached. He had just been speaking to Cain - the old man that he had fought in the fighting festival in Vaizel, and who had apparently arrived at the Boar’s hat only shortly after I had left earlier. Actually, I was pretty sure that Cain wasn’t his real name, but I had never heard anyone say what it was. Now, though, the small old man was nowhere in sight. He must have left. 

Meliodas now turned to Gowther. “Well, Gowther? What’s your answer?”

“I accept. It was the kingdom who appointed me one of the Seven Deadly Sins. If the princes requests it of me, I have no reason to decline.”

At this everyone perked up, joy lighting their features. I wondered if their earlier concern had something to do with the idea of Gowther not coming with, seeing as how their earlier fear seemed to have evaporated at his statement.

“All right!” Meliodas declared. “We’ve already got five of the Seven Deadly Sins together, so let’s drink in celebration!”

This, of course, was met by cheers from the likes of Ban and Hawk. While Hawk wouldn’t be drinking, there were always plenty of dropped scraps to go around whenever the group decided to drink.

Harlequin’s response to the excitement, however, was pretty monotone. “But we drink practically everyday as it is…” And my thoughts were along similar lines.

“I think I’ll sit this one out. I don’t really care for alcohol.” I held my hand up and sighed before starting to make my way back to my seat. While it was pretty fun when everyone was drinking, it could get overwhelming with it happening almost everyday. “What about you, Zephyr? Do you want to join?”

The fox shade shook his head decidedly. No. If I got even slightly drunk and decided to try to go into any shadows, who knows where I’d end up. I could pop up on the other side of the world and never be able to return for all I know, so I’d rather not.

“Hmm,” I smiled jokingly. “Perhaps once things have calmed down we could do that; you just have to remember to take me with you. It might be fun!”

He grinned slightly. While that sounds like fun, it’s probably not the best idea, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

“Not only the pig, but the fox can speak, too.” I hadn’t even heard Gowther’s approach. “How can an animal speak human language?” He was gazing intently at Zephyr.

While I was a little surprised by him, I smiled up at the pinkette. “Oh, come on, Gowther. I’m sure you’ve seen a fox shade before. Or at least heard of them? The last time I saw you, they were still somewhat common.” My recent contentedness with my company must have made me more relaxed with what I was willing to say, for me to admit that I already knew someone here, I realized. But now, even if I wanted to take it back, it was too late. Even Zephyr shot me a surprised look. But then again, now that I thought about it, he hadn’t known that I knew Gowther…

Gowther tilted his head slightly, his brow furrowing a minuscule amount. “How do you know me? I appear to have no memories of you.”

“Wh-what? You forgot about me…? C’mon, I’m Zinnia… We’re friends...” I drooped. Now that I had revealed that I knew him, I had at least hoped for some kind of recognition. “Well, I guess it’s been quite a long time…” I admitted.

“I do not forget-”

“Say Gowther…” Meliodas approached from behind me, making me jump. He had two mugs of ale in his hands, and when he stepped next to Gowther, he set the second one on the table in front of me. I simply glared at him and pushed the drink away. “About that incident ten years back, when we Deadly Sins were accused of wanting to overthrow the kingdom and we all got split up. There’s something I want to ask you-”

Gowther stopped him by reaching a hand forward and shooting a small bolt of purplish light into his captain’s neck. “I know what you want to ask. The images and voices are hazy, but when we were escaping, the one who attacked you and wiped clear your memory was the Boar Sin of Gluttony, Merlin.”

Wait, what was that? What did he just do? While I did know Gowther, I had never seen him use any abilities. Judging by his words, something to do with memories…? 

Meliodas stood up straighter, sloshing his drink a little in the process. “Merlin?! But why…?”

“I do not know her reasons.” Gowther didn’t seem phased by the revelation.

“Gowther, since the incident, have you and Merlin-”

“I have not seen her, though I have heard numerous rumours about her. All information pertaining to her is ambiguous. It vanishes before any facts can be confirmed.”

“Gowther, come over here!~” Ban’s slurred call ended their discussion. When Gowther approached, he continued. “Everyooone!~ Listen to this! Apparently Gowther here could tell it was King by his ‘body odor’!” I could tell by the blush across his face - not to mention the bottle in his hand - that Ban was very drunk. This didn’t mean that I wasn’t curious, however.

I stood from my seat again and floated over in time to hear Gowther add “That and his framework and tone.”

But I, along with everyone else, was stuck on the first fact. “Body odor?” I paused, though, when everyone went to sniff the other fairy. It was like they were smelling a flower. I was the only one who wasn’t drunk, so I was sure I couldn’t get away with it. Not that I’d want to…! Now embarrassed at having gotten up, I glanced back to my seat, where Zephyr sat comfortably, snickering at the entire situation.

“Mm, sugary!~”

“Smells like a flower.”

“That’s the king of the fairies for you!”

“Something about it reminds me of the old days.”

The group’s voices made me look back to the group, who surrounded the brightly blushing fairy. Now I was curious - I could have probably joined in and no one would have noticed or cared… I started forward, but stopped when Harlequin shouted.

“S… stop it, guys! If you keep doing that, I’ll get all nervous and-”

There was a loud poof and a cloud of smoke, and he was suddenly in his oversized human form, sweating profusely.

Being as drunk as they were, the whole group sniffed again, which I would have recommended against just by looking at him.

“It suddenly smells rank~”

“Stinks of sweat!”

“P… probably because of my appearance…” Harlequin interjected.

“Such a nostalgic smell.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ban and Hawk both told him, while Elizabeth said “K… King-sama… Don’t give up!”

“No fair ganging up only on me!” Harlequin stomped like a child, fuming, causing me to chuckle.

“Did I do something wrong?” Gowther asked him.

“Hell yeah you did! Do something about this awkward situation!!”

“Understood.” Gowther held up his hand “ Search Light. ” The same purple light as he has used on Meliodas earlier now shot out of the tip of his index finger, accompanied by a little zapping sound, and consecutively pierced Diane, Ban, and me in the neck. It felt almost like a mosquito bite, only harder.

“Wait, why me too?!”

“Diane, you lie about your thirty-foot height, saying it is twenty-nine feet.” When Gowther casually pointed at her and said this, Diane squealed, clutching her fists beside her bright red cheeks. “On the subject of your weight-”

With a boom , the boy was suddenly crushed beneath the giant’s fist. “Mean! Mean!! Stupid Gowther!!” At this point, she was continuously pounding Gowther into the ground, shouting her anger at the top of her lungs. I even noticed that Harlequin was floating about her. I was pretty certain that his smiling face was laughing quietly, but it was impossible to hear over Diane’s shouts. “I can’t believe you’d announce a young girl’s secrets to the world!”

When she finally calmed down, Gowther just slowly started to crawl out of the hole he was now in. His glasses were now bent, and his clothes were covered in dust; I was actually surprised that his clothes weren’t torn. “...Ouch. As for you, Ban. Twelve years ago, you became completely inebriated while on duty to battle the vampire gang in Edinburgh.”

“I remember that.” Diane squinted at Ban suspiciously.

Ban didn’t even seem bothered as he tipped a fresh bottle of beer to his lips. “Right, that time I got so drunk I didn’t take part, right? I already said I was sorry for that~”

But Gowther wasn’t finished with him. “After that, you used ‘physical hunt’ to rob strength from King and Diane, then had a good laugh to yourself as you watched them struggling to fight.”

This got him. Ban immediately spewed his drink, spraying it everywhere. I was just glad that I wasn’t right in front of him.

The pinkette wasn’t done yet. “And after you did one hundred thousand push-ups with that stolen strength, you completely crashed out.”

“Hmmmm. I was wondering why I couldn’t muster up any strength even though I was feeling fine…” Diane leaned over him menacingly.

Harlequin floated at her side, his increased Chastiefol surrounding him and pointed toward the fox sin. “So that explains it.”

Ban tilted his head toward them, hiccuping. “That was twelve years ago, okay? Don’t get your panties in a twist~”

Diane grabbed him, squishing him in her fist and squirting the immortal’s blood everywhere.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I had no idea what they were talking about, but it certainly sounded like something Ban would do. Just watching their antics made me clutch my stomach with laughter. Tears started to stream down my face.

But I had forgotten that Gowther had zapped me, too.

Gowther was squinting and clutching his glasses when he spoke again. “And Zinnia, you should be almost strong enough to rival King.” Most everyone turned to me in surprise, and I stepped back. I really didn’t want to hear this… “But, you are too scared to learn to use your powers.”

I blanched. I reached up to tuck some hair behind my ear, but stopped, instead summoning my cloak from where I had left it on the table and holding it tightly to my chest.

“Hmmm…? You’re actually strong, Zinnia-chan?” Diane’s drunkenly-blushed face now settled into an expression of curiosity. She leaned over to get a closer look at me. “Why are you scared?”

But I just stepped back more and shook my head. “It’s not exactly like that…” I mumbled, feeling my wings flicker nervously. Why did that have to be what Gowther had said? I wasn’t scared to learn how to better use my spirit spear - it was my demon side that scared me. Well, I was a little scared to learn to use my spirit spear - but not much! That’s why I always more of wanted to support others, rather than being center-stage.

Harlequin floated down from his place above everyone and gently set his feet on the ground in front of me. He faced me, concern etching his features. “Weren’t you saying in the fight that you were going to ask me to train you to use your spirit spear? Is this why you didn’t ask?” He probably took my eyes widening as a yes. “You don’t have to be scared of it - it can only help you to learn. I could teach you, if you want.”

You better take up this offer, Zinnia, Zephyr stated from behind me. I glanced back to find that his laughter from earlier had vanished. It would be stupid of you not to.

Looking back it the fairy king, I gulped, but nodded. “O-okay…”

I guess that Ban didn’t hear any of this, as he had still been clutched in Diane’s fist, and now was the moment he finally wrenched himself free. “DAAAAAAH! Now we’re the ones having it hard!~”

“Understood.” Gowther had been ignoring the exchange between Harlequin and me, choosing instead to attempt to fix his glasses. Now, though, he shot another light at the unaware Harlequin.

“W… w-wait! Gowther, stop!!” the other fairy demanded.

In the distraction, I scurried back to the table. Upon my approach, the fox shade languidly stretched and stepped out of my chair. I instantly plopped back into the seat, pulling the ale that Meliodas had previously set there towards me.

Really? The question wasn’t judging; it was almost a statement.

“Yes, really.” I held the tankard to my lips, downing its contents.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Many, many years ago, not far from the Fairy King’s Forest)

Only a small amount of sunshine pierced the overcast sky, and the strong winds were whipping the clouds across it, making it look like a roiling sea. The branches of the forest lashed wildly, but deep underneath, on the forest floor, the air was almost still. The orange-tinged leaves of early autumn littered the ground, and the crisp air was devoid of the sounds of wildlife. It was almost as though the forest was holding its breath in anticipation of the coming storm.

This was where two young girls stood - one with red hair, the other with black. A small black fox sat next to the redhead, leaning protectively against her leg. The girl with black hair was across from her, leaning aloofly against a tree.

“Tch,” the second girl sighed. “Why does Otou-sama insist on making us spend time together?”

The first girl tried a smile. “I think he just wants us to get along. Isn’t that right, Zephyr-kun?”

The little fox nodded somberly.

“I don’t care what he wants. I want to be helping with the war! And we’re on opposite sides of that war.” She pushed herself off of the tree and began to walk away, deeper into the forest.

“Fausse-onee-sama! Wait up!” The redhead jumped up, flying after her sister. Zephyr simply slipped into her shadow. “Otou-chan said to stay here and wait for him to come back!”

“Dear Zinnia,” Fausse’s voice held strong traces of sarcasm and contempt as she threw it over her shoulder. “My sweet little Imouto-chan listens so well to Otou-sama. Why don’t you just stay here, if you care so much about what he wants? I don’t want you and your pet following me, anyway.”

Zinnia faltered for a moment before continuing to follow. “No, it’s better for us to stick together. And Zephyr-kun’s not a pet!!” She sped up so that she was step in step with her sister.

As the two sisters walked side by side, their differences became more apparent. Zinnia was short with slightly wavy, waist-length red hair and emerald eyes. Fausse was taller and while her hair was also long, it reached all the way to her knees and was straight and jet-black, and she had dark purple eyes. Zinnia’s outfit consisted of a long, lighter red vest that was almost reached her knees in the back, but was short enough to show her belly button in the front, and very poofy, light pink pants, along with a pair of flats that were only a slightly darker red than her vest. Fausse was wearing black tights with a slightly ragged, dark purple dress overtop, which was a few shades darker than her eyes. She was also barefoot. While Zinnia looked crisp and clean, her skin unmarred, Fausse has a few thin scars along her arms and a thin layer of dirt dusted her hands and feet. And, even though both looked young, Zinnia had the rounder, softer features of a child, and Fausse’s features were sharper, giving her an older look.

Fausse gave a slight smile, revealing short fangs. “Do you hear that?”

Zinnia paused, listening to the still forest. She could just barely make out the sound of numerous screams in the distance. As soon as she heard it, though, she became worried and fearful. “Has the war reached all the way here? We aren’t far from the Fairy King’s Forest!”

“I’m not certain that it’s the war itself. It may just be bandits.” Fausse’s grin grew mischievous. “Why don’t we go check it out?”

“But didn’t Otou-chan say-”

“What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.” She brushed off the younger girl’s complaint. “Now are you just going to be a whiny little fairy and sit here doing nothing while you wait for Otou-sama to return? Or are you going to come with me and have some fun?” She didn’t even wait for a response, continuing to walk in the direction of the noise. If anything, she lengthened her stride.

“I’m not whiny!! I’m coming.” Zinnia sped up, flying to keep up with Fausse now, as her shorter legs would have difficulty keeping up.

I’m not sure this is a good idea, Zinnia-sama… Zephyr’s young voice seemed to echo quietly through the air, though it made no actual noise.

“And tell your dog to be quiet if you want to come with.” The black haired girl shook her head. “I don’t see why you insist on taking that thing everywhere with you.”

“He’s a fox shade , not a dog,” was all Zinnia said. She really didn’t get what Fausse’s problem was. She was always like this; she seemed to constantly be trying to pick a fight and couldn’t seem to stop being mean to those around her.

“Whatever.”

The two girls continued on through the forest, slipping quietly through the underbrush. Before long, the noises they had heard grew louder, and the voices became more distinct. Specific words begging for help could be picked out, but it was mostly just wordless screaming. The tangy scent of blood tainted the air.

“F-Fausse-onee-sama, can we go back now? I think this is far enough…” Zinnia slowed, nervously tucking some hair behind her ear. “W-what if we get caught up in something?”

“That’s the fun part!” Fausse’s smile stretched from ear to ear, and she rushed on ahead, heedless of her sister’s words.

Don’t-

But Zinnia was already running after her. “Onee-sama! Wait!!” In order to catch up to Fausse, who had already disappeared from her sight, Zinnia flew above the brambles and foliage that littered the forest floor. Within moments of increasing her speed, she broke through the edge of the forest, into the sunlight. Into a bloodbath.

It wasn’t a large opening in the trees, just wide enough for a thin road to wind through the woods. At the far edge of the road, a wagon sat empty. Its horse was missing - probably spooked from the commotion - and the reins that had held it were cut. Blood stained the edges of the waon, along with patches of the road around it.The screaming had died down, to where now there were only a couple of voices that made up the noise. This was probably due to the six or seven bodies that lined the road, both bandit and traveler alike. The remaining voices were coming from the far side of the road, where the wagon blocked Zinnia’s view.

Where’s Fausse-onee-san? Zinnia wondered. Has she not arrived yet? Terror gripped her at the sight in front of her, but she couldn’t stand by. Even though the fairy didn’t even have a weapon, she thought that perhaps she could lead whatever bandits remained away long enough for the survivors to escape.

As soon as she rounded the wagon, though, she realized that this was not the case. It wasn’t a bandit that loomed over the cowering humans, but Fausse. Blood stained her hands, and darkness tipped her fingers in sharp claws. Her smile, which had not left her face since she had left Zinnia, was now filled with bloodlust. Dark marks edged the right side of her face, matching her black eyes. She now had a long, dark, whip-like tail, tapering to a dangerous-looking spike. She seemed unbothered by the specks of blood that looked like bright red freckles across her face, and flicked her tail back and forth like a cat.

“Fausse…” She trailed off. She could barely comprehend what she was seeing. It wasn’t just the travelers that were cowering in front of her, but two armed bandits as well. “What are you doing…?”

“Zinnia-chan, decided to join the fun, have you?” Fausse’s eyes glinted with pure, unbridled joy. If it weren’t for the blood covering her and the menace that filled her voice, Zinnia might have thought that she was happy to see her. “Would you like to help with these ones?” She gestured toward the four remaining humans, who were now dead silent in fear. “I know you don’t like hurting innocents, so I left some bandits for you.”

Zinnia fell backwards, landing with a hard thump on the ground. “No… Why would you do this…?” Fear filled her trembling voice. “I might have understood the bandits, but the others…? Why?”

Fausse casually wiped some of the blood from around her mouth, leaving thin streaks behind. She frowned slightly at Zinnia’s words. “Because I wanted to. Why else? Those with power do as they please, while those without live to serve those that are stronger than them.” She looked at her hand and clenched her fist, her smile returning. “That’s why I’ve made it my goal to become one of the strongest demons. Soon enough, I’ll pass Otou-sama, and when it’s time, I’ll take my place as one of the Ten Commandments.” She looked back up, towards her sister. She held out one blood-stained hand. “What do you say, Imouto? Will you join me? I’m certain that I’ll be able to find a place for you when the time comes.”

Zinnia was frozen, her breath coming in short gasps. Her fear was causing thin wisps of darkness to edge her face, and her eyes had turned black. This, in turn, caused Fausse’s grin to widen and the humans’ terror to deepen.

“Come on, don’t let your weak fairy half hold you back. Abandon that overprotective fox pup and come with me.”

These were the words that finally got through to the fairy girl. She took a breath and, trembling, got to her feet. “No. I won’t abandon Zephyr-kun, and I certainly won’t go with you. Just because someone is strong, it doesn’t mean they are right. It doesn’t mean that they are better than everyone else!”

Fausse’s eyes darkened. “Fine then.” Her arm dropped to her side. “Be that way. Remain weak and ignorant forever for all I care. Die for all I care! Just know that, when given the choice, you chose the weaker side - the losing side!” She glanced back at her prisoners, her smile returning once again. “See what one with power can do.”

“Wait- Fausse-onee-”

Before Zinnia could even finish the word, Fausse whipped out her tail, swiftly piercing the humans through their hearts one by one. It happened so fast that the last one didn’t even get the chance to scream. “Remember, Imouto-chan - even if you don’t want to admit it, your demon half will always crave this violence. You will forever crave the taste of powerful souls.” As though to punctuate this, she plucked the glowing light off the end of her tail, which had appeared as soon as she had pulled it from the final man’s body, and easily stuck it in her mouth. “Even if that traitor Meliodas says otherwise. The more you fight, the more powerful you become, and the more powerful you become, the more others will seek you out to fight you. It’s a beautiful, perfect circle.” She smiled maniacally, then softened and continued in a whispered voice. “Tell me, dear, dear Imouto-chan: how long will you be able to survive in this war-strewn world as the weak fairy you are now?”

But Zinnia’s face was filled with shock. Blood from the newly-dead humans flecked her face and clothes. Her sister’s words sounded in her head, but all she could see was her killing the men, over and over again. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what to say. Is this really what power brings? Was all she thought. Death?

Zinnia-sama! Zephyr’s words pounded in her skull. Zinnia-sama, run!!

And she was running. She was running faster than her legs had ever taken her. She allowed herself to lift off the ground, her wingless self not being as fast as other fairies, but still faster than running. But her sister wasn’t following her. The last thing she heard was her sister’s laughter and her parting words echoing through the trees.

“You’ll realize it someday, Zinnia-chan! You’ll realize the hunger for power that runs through your veins!!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Don't Wish for Excitement

I flicked my wrist for about the hundredth time that day, spinning Dyrnwyn in the air in front of me. I then twitched my fingertips, sending the spear at a dozen different leaves that were drifting in the air around it. It missed all but a couple.

“Arrrgghh!!! Why can I just not get this?!” I grumbled angrily. “I’ve never heard of anyone having to actually learn how to use a spirit spear. I’ve always been told that it’s just plain instinct!”

“It is . For a fairy king - which you aren’t. We have our spirit spears from the beginning, while you inherited yours.” Harlequin was sighing. “How many times do I have to tell you, you’re exaggerating your movements too much. You just need quick, simple movements.” To demonstrate, he floated a few leaves into the air again and did the technique he had been trying to show me, easily slicing each of the leaves perfectly in half. Except that I didn’t see any difference between his hand motions and mine. “Try again.”

I shook my head in annoyance, but did as he said. After he tossed a few leaves into the air I repeated the same moves that I had been doing all day, attempting to make the already small movements smaller. My only reward was that this time I grazed the edge of a third leaf.

Hey, you’re improving! Zephyr congratulated me from where he lounged in the shade nearby. His eyes had been half closed and his head on his paws as he enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze, but he lifted his head and looked more alert as he said this.

“Not enough…” Groaning, I returned Dyrnwyn to a cloak and flung myself into it, burying my face in the folds of fabric. When I resurfaced from the softness, I sighed in exasperation. “What if something happens? What if we have to fight soon and I still can’t do anything??”

“Then you stay behind, as the captain told you to last time.” Harlequin allowed Chastiefol to turn back into a pillow and laid into it, drifting lazily across the clearing. “You’re not a sin; you don’t have to fight.”

“I know that, but you guys have helped me so much. I can’t just sit back and do nothing while you all risk your lives out there.” I pressed my face back into my cloak before murmuring quietly. “I’ve spent too much of my life doing nothing, anyway…”

Zephyr let out a quiet breath, but neither one said anything. It took a few minutes for me to pull my head back out of my cloak again, and when I did, I saw Zephyr and Harlequin exchange a glance.

“So while you’re taking a break, why don’t you tell me what forms your spirit spear has? Considering how many Chastiefol has, I’m sure that Dyrnwyn has more than I’ve seen.” Harlequin hopped out of his pillow and floated up to me.

“I mean, I’m sure there are plenty that I don’t know,” I mumbled. I tucked some hair behind my ear, slightly embarrassed at my ignorance of my own weapon. “I only know a few. There’s it’s first form, Dyrnwyn. There’s also Guardian, Spider Silk, and Increase. Those are the ones I use most often, though there are a few more that I use occaisionally. Oh, there’s one that my Onii-chan told me that my mother used, but I haven’t used it before. It’s called-”

“Hey, King, stop chatting with Zinnia-chan and come here~” Ban’s voice interrupted from the direction of the Boar’s Hat. When I glanced over, I saw through the window that he appeared to be having a discussion with Meliodas, but had stopped to call the fairy over.

“Well, I guess that’s it for the day.” Harlequin froze in his meandering. “We can pick back up on this tomorrow.” Then he was gone, disappearing into the tavern. The windows were shut shortly after he went in.

“Oh… Okay.” I sighed. While I had been getting annoyed at my incompetence with my spirit spear, I had also been enjoying myself. It had been a long time since the last time that I actually got to spend any amount of time with another fairy, and it had given me a feeling of belonging that I didn’t get too often. Even if we weren’t exactly the same.

I wonder what that was about? Zephyranthes languidly stretched before standing and sauntering up to where I floated. It seemed like they didn’t want us to hear, with how they didn’t call you, and how the windows were closed…

“You’re probably looking too far into it.” I dismissed him. I really didn’t want to linger on the idea of the sins wanting to hide stuff from me. While I knew that everyone kept secrets, it really was a peeve of mine when something was kept from only me in particular. Though, deep inside, I knew it was pretty hypocritical of me to feel that way with how many secrets I tend to keep. “They might just be closing the windows to keep the breeze out. It’s pretty windy today, after all. If fact, that may be part of the reason that I kept missing those leaves.” As though to prove my point, a particularly strong gust of wind howled across the clearing, blowing me a couple of inches away from where I had been.

The fox shook his head, uncertain. I don’t know… Maybe you’re right. I’ve spent so long looking for the worst in others; it feels like everything’s directed at us. He padded up to my side and leaned lightly against my leg.

“I know what you mean.” I smiled as I touched down on the ground, placing my hand on Zephyr’s fluffy head. “You’ve always been looking out for me, haven’t you? But I think we can trust these people. Heck, I’ve known some of them for most of my life! I’m sure you don’t have to be so suspicious of them all the time. There are still some things to work out, but it’ll work out in the end.” I got down on one knee and my grin widened as I looked my friend in the face. A small laugh escaped my throat as I spoke. “Oh, and try to be nicer to Hawk-chan. I know he can’t hear you, but your expression says a lot, and we’d probably have a more pleasant time here if everyone liked us.”

The fox shade looked to the ground and shuffled his paws. “Fine… But I’m not going to go out of my way to become friends with him!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It had been a few days since my first training session with Harlequin. While I was still nowhere near as good as the Fairy King, I had certainly gotten better. Just yesterday I had sliced seven of the thirteen leaves I was aiming for, and had almost hit an eighth. Not to mention that the other practice wasn’t going so badly either. Harlequin had instructed me to attempt to make complex shapes and patterns with my Spider Silk form within a short amount of time in order to hone my precision with it, and to make Dyrnwyn’s increased form into as many pieces as possible and to do many separate things with them at once, along with a few other exercises. My personal favorite was making the shapes with the Spider Silk; I even made a hammock at one point before taking a break on it.

Right now, though, I was in my room - well, my and Gowther’s room; Meliodas had insisted, as it was the only room with only one person (apparently Zephyr didn’t count). Everyone else was downstairs, and I was working on patching up my old dress. Even if it would never look exactly like how it had when I received it, I was determined to make it wearable again. The shoes were hopeless, though. The flats that had once been a soft mint green were now so faded that I could hardly tell they were supposed to be green, and only a thin strip of fabric between the heels and the toes remained of their soles. I still held onto them out of sentimentality, but I was certain to never wear them again.

“Hey, Zephyr, what do you think we’re gonna do next?” I asked, not even looking up from where I was stitching on a patch of minty fabric that looked blindingly green next to the faded dress. “Like, do we just keep wandering randomly until we find the next sin? Or is there an actual plan behind it?”

I hadn’t realized that you were now including the whole group in ‘we’. I’d always that that was reserved for you and me… He sniffed before shaking his head. Sorry; I’m not the best with changes. I think that they probably have a plan behind what to do next. Perhaps that was what they were talking about the other day when your training session with Harlequin-sama was interrupted. I’m sure we’ll know what’s happening soon.

“That’d be nice.” I winced. I had accidentally stabbed myself with the needle, and now a bead of blood tipped my finger. “We’ve been wandering seemingly aimlessly for awhile now. While it’s nice to have a break from the violence, it’s making me a little high-strung. I mean, the next fight could be at any time! I could just be wandering along and bam! Suddenly everyone’s fighting and a whole town’s destroyed when just moments ago we were casually talking. It could be just around the corner, and we wouldn’t even know it.”

So what would you prefer? The fox shade looked over my shoulder, examining my finger to make sure it wasn’t serious.

“I’d prefer that we take action, rather than waiting for it to come to us! I’m getting antsy just waiting for it.” After I spoke, I simply licked my finger and tied a spare strip of white fabric around it before going back to sewing. I only had a few more patches that I could do with my current materials, so I was almost done.

That’s understandable. Zephyr closed his eyes and dipped his head in admission. Most everyone probably feels the same, so I’m certain that we’ll hear what the next plans are soon.

I didn’t respond, as I was too focused on sewing the last few stitches. “And… done!!” I held up the dress, which now slightly resembled a patchwork quilt. In order to make the once-white dots that were sprinkled across the midsection of the dress stand out, I had sewn on new white spots, but they weren’t perfectly circular like the old ones, nor did they fit seamlessly into the rest of the dress. It was also a couple of inches shorter than it originally was, as the hem if it had been shredded. I didn’t care, though. “It’s perfect!”

Zephyr looked hesitant. Umm, are you sure ?

“Of course!” I stood up from where I had been hunched for over an hour, spinning in a circle as I held the dress aloft, allowing it to flutter in the air. “Now I’ll just put it on to show to the others.” After a moment of thought, I grabbed the deep green ribbon that I had bought in Vaizel with the sewing supplies and tied it in and off-center bow around my neck.

The fox shade just gave an exasperated smile and shook his head.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“The sword stolen from me… or rather, it’s dragon hilt… is a fragment of a ritual instrument called the Coffin of Eternal Darkness.” Meliodas was speaking.

Everyone - other than Zinnia and Zephyr, that is - was gathered in the tavern. Even Diane was looking in through the window. Meliodas stood behind the bar, while Ban, King, and Gowther were in front of it. Elizabeth sat at a table, with Hawk eating out of his bowl that was perched on one of the table’s other seats.

“Coffin of Darkness?” Elizabeth asked.

“Isn’t that…”

“It is an old legend.” Gowther answered King’s unfinished question. “Long ago, the goddess race, giant clan, fairy folk, and mankind joined forces to create this relief that sealed away the demon race.”

“Then…” The princess contemplated. “The Holy Knights really are planning on bringing the demon race back?”

Hawk looked up at her, scraps covering his mouth. “Do you think they want to revive them… to befriend them?”

“They wouldn’t dare-”

“Then what is it they want?” Hawk seemed actually serious for once.

“Hey, hey!” Diane drew everyone’s attention to her face in the window. “If they have your sword, do you think they’ve already revived the Demon Race?”

Meliodas crossed his arms in front of his chest. “It’s a pretty strong seal. When it’s lifted, I’m sure there will be some kind of sign.”

Just then, Zinnia peeked her head out from the stairway. “Hey guys. What are you talking about?” She floated all the way into the open, the tap tap of Zephyranthes’s paws following her. Instead of the tavern’s pink and purple uniform, she was now wearing a faded mint and white sleeveless dress with patches of bright, new fabric. A thick green ribbon was tied in a bow around her throat, with the tips of the ribbon reaching her waist.

“Hey Zinnia-chan!” Diane called cheerily. “Oh! You fixed your old dress?”

The fairy girl smiled and nodded. “Yep! I’ve been working on it for awhile now. I’m not the best at sewing, though.”

Zinnia was looking to King, curious of what he thought, as he had helped to make the dress in the first place.

King, though, was just staring at her in shock. He remembered making the dress. He also remembered who had asked him to help make it. He had never imagined that Zinnia was the recipient.

Diane continued chatting with Zinnia, pulling her attention away from the Fairy King. “I don’t know; you did pretty good considering what you started with. And that looks so much better on you in this form! It’s adorable!! And I love the ribbon.”

Zinnia blushed lightly. “You really think so?” She poofed into her human form, making her look almost exactly like Elizabeth. While the dress had changed slightly to fit her, it now only reached midway down her thighs - only a little longer than the uniform she had been wearing. “Yeah, I think it’s a bit better on my shorter stature.” 

“Zinnia-san, you know-”

A loud gurgling and squealing interrupted King’s question. Everyone looked to the source: Hawk. “The sign!” He squealing, sweat pouring down his sides. “The sign! It’s here!! I ate too much!”

“You just gotta take a dump~!” Ban seemed both slightly annoyed and amused from his place at the bar.

Elizabeth rushed up to the pig. “Hawk-chan… are you alright?”

“He’s fine, Elizabeth.” Zinnia wandered up to them, setting her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. Zephyranthes, though, eyed Hawk warily, and remained standing stiffly at the foot of the stairs. “Just let him go outside, and he’ll return good as new in five minutes.”

“I have to go release this seal,” Hawk moaned. “That reminds me… ugh… why do they want your sword… oop… and Elizabeth-chan too?”

“She’s the final key to lifting the seal.” A masked woman had spontaneously appeared in front of Elizabeth and Zinnia, but neither had seen, as Elizabeth was looking at Hawk, and Zinnia at Elizabeth. Zinnia looked up at the mysterious woman, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Elizabeth!!” Meliodas cried, jumping up from his seat. “GET AWAY FROM HER!!” He started to leap across the room.

Zinnia! Zephyr, too, leapt to his paws and started forward.

But before either one had crossed the room, the woman had vanished, and Elizabeth, Zinnia, and Hawk with her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Escape the Castle

“Welcome back to Liones.”

Elizabeth just squeaked in surprise when the masked woman spoke from behind her. “Y… you’re… You brought me here!”

But where is here? I was attempting to be cool and collected as I looked around the small stone cell, always keeping the woman in sight, but I couldn’t help but worry. I didn’t even have Dyrnwyn, as I had left it in my room when I came down to show off my dress. I had never been in Liones before, and this certainly wasn’t the best first impression.

“Hmmm… Why are there two of you?” The woman seemed surprised - not that I could see her face to tell. “No matter. One of you is bound to be the real one.”

But Elizabeth wasn’t listening to her. “Bring me back to Meliodas-sama - Ah!” She had jumped towards our captor, but the woman disappeared in a blink, leaving the princess staggering forward. She looked around the room, uncertain. “Is this really... Liones?”

“Probably,” I told her simply, still busy studying our surroundings. So as to not waste energy, I transformed back into my fairy form.

Suddenly, a deafening gurgling noise erupted in the tiny space, causing Elizabeth to scream and me to step back against a wall. But it was only Hawk, who appeared to be under a lot of stress.

“Wait… Hawk-chan?! You came with?!” Elizabeth seemed even more surprised than me. I mean, that mage seemed surprised that I was here. She had probably only meant to grab Elizabeth, and ended up grabbing me as well because I was near her. It only made sense that Hawk would have come too. If only it had been someone more useful…

If it had been almost any of the guys - I wasn’t certain about Gowther - they could have easily knocked down the door in some way or other. Zephyr could have simply sent us out of the room, though he couldn’t get us back to the Boar’s Hat since he wouldn’t have known what direction to go. Then again, Elizabeth probably wouldn’t have gone with that, with what happened the last time we attempted it…

During my inner musings, Hawk had smashed down the door, run off, and returned. I didn’t want to think about the noises I heard while he was gone. I was just surprised that he was actually able to take down the solid metal door. Did they use cheap doors here, or was the pig actually stronger than I thought?

In a moment, we exited the room and were shuffling down a dimly lit corridor when the door at the end of the hall ahead of us slowly creaked open, illuminating the passageway. “What was that noise just now…?” A yawning, chainmail-clad man cast a shadow across the floor as he poked his head through the crack.

“A guard!!” Elizabeth whispered. “We’ve got to hide…”

“Don’t we have to do something about him, though? This looks like the only way out,” I hurriedly questioned under my breath. Even without Dyrnwyn, maybe I could do something; he was just a normal guard, after all…

“Rolling Ham Attack!!” I cringed away from the loud noise as Hawk announced his attack. He cartwheeled into the man, easily toppling him and knocking him out. Hawk stood proudly over his work before looking back to us. “There, now let’s go!”

All that Elizabeth could managed to say to this spectacle was “R… Right!”

“Good job, Hawk-chan!” I smiled slightly as I congratulated him. “I wasn’t sure what we were going to do for a moment there.”

Hawk gave a smile in return. “Thanks! Now, it looks like we’re in the dungeons, so let’s head above ground!”

“...The dungeons…?” Elizabeth paused, looking back the way we had come. She hesitated only a moment before running back through the door and down the hallway.

“Hey! What’re you doing, Elizabeth-chan?!” Hawk gave chase, the clicking of his hooves echoing after him.

“Elizabeth??” I tried to call after her, but I could hear that she was calling someone’s name, too.

“Margaret-nee-sama?! Father… Where are you?!”

Margaret? I wondered. I think that was the name of the first princess… I should probably keep track of those. Instead of following after the princess, I remained where I was. This appeared to be the only exit, and who knew when someone might come or the unconscious guard might wake up. As I heard the quiet response to Elizabeth’s cries from an unknown voice, I sat down on a small stool, watching the door intently.

Within a moment of my sitting down, though, I heard a scream coming from Elizabeth’s direction, followed by a voice I had only come to know recently: the sorceress who had brought us here. I sprang up from my seat, flying down the hallway, only to find it empty. There was a door that was open that I believed hadn’t been before, but no one was there - not even Margaret.

Oh no! Knowing the she and Hawk had most probably been taken far away from here, I knew that I couldn’t just sit around. I had to get out of here myself. And with the increasingly loud rumbles and shouts that I could make out from outside, I had no idea what I was going to find out there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Surprisingly, it wasn’t all too hard to escape. With all the commotion going on, the knights that were supposed to guard the dungeon were busy running to and fro in their attempts to follow orders. I just had to walk confidently through the halls, attempt to hide my wings as best as possible, and avoid being run into. It’s actually pretty surprising what you can get away with if you pretend that you’re supposed to be there. I was getting pretty nervous within a few seconds of leaving the dungeon, but I continued to pretend that nothing was wrong, and I made it outside without anyone stopping me.

Immediately upon exiting the castle, I sprinted away, and then I sped up by flying. I only allowed myself to breathe when I felt that I was a safe distance away, and houses loomed above me on all sides.

I gasped for breath. “Gahhh… Never again… I’m tired… of being… kidnapped… I feel bad for… Elizabeth… for everyone wanting… to go after her…” When I had finally regained my bearings, I allowed myself to take in my surroundings. The sounds of fighting surrounded me: swords clashing, earth rumbling, lightning crashing, wind roaring. It was nearly deafening when I paid attention to it, so I tried not to focus on the noise.

While most of the houses around me were abandoned, there were still people running, attempting to evacuate from the war-strewn city. Among the people’s fear-filled words, I caught one phrase that they all seemed to have in common: “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

The Sins are the ones attacking the city? I guess that makes since, seeing as how Elizabeth was taken. My mind immediately went to the one place that it always did in these kinds of situations. I hope that Zephyr is safe.

As though my thoughts had summoned the fox shade, I felt the slight shiver of him entering me shadow. Zinnia! You’re safe! His words, usually so calm and collected, sounded relieved. We were all so worried about you. Where’s Elizabeth-san?

“She… she and Hawk were taken by the sorceress that kidnapped us. It was done while I wasn’t looking. I had to escape alone…” I hung my head in shame. “I should’ve kept a closer eye on her…”

It can’t be helped. You wouldn’t have been able to do much without this, anyway. He swiftly slid out of my shadow, but I was surprised to find that he had Dyrnwyn with him. He had been trying to wear it like the cloak it was, but it swallowed him so that all I could see was his dark snout protruding from the fabric. Were we not in such a serious situation, I would have laughed at the sight. None of the crowd seemed to be paying us any attention in the commotion, so I wasn’t worried about anyone having seen Zephyr suddenly appearing.

“You brought Dyrnwyn, thank you!” I smiled as I took the cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Though I almost wish you had stayed behind; I don’t want you to get hurt.”

I wish the same for you, but I already stated that I am tired of being left behind. We’re both here now, so what next? He lifted his snout in the air and started sniffing, as though trying to get a better handle on the situation around us by scent alone.

“I guess that we look for the nearest fight, and see if we can help this time.”

Bonus 4: To What Lengths

(~2500 Years Ago)

Not far outside of a good-sized town, Zinnia and Zephyranthes were relaxing in the woods. The chill of winter swept through the air, making the day crisp and cold. The leafless trees reached skeletal fingers into the air, swaying gently to and fro in the slight breeze.

Normally on a day like this, Zinnia would have her cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulders to keep the chill out, but on this gray afternoon, she had it wadded up in her lap instead. Only the smallest bits of wings protruded from her back. She had finally started to sprout her wings, and she and Zephyr were admiring them.

“They’re almost completely clear…” the fairy fretted. “What if they never gain any color? Would that be a bad thing? Onii-chan’s were super colorful…” She nervously tucked some hair behind her ear.

I’m sure they’ll be fine. Zephyr sniffed the wings and gave a tiny smile. I’m certain that he’d be proud, even if they don’t have a single speck of color. In fact, I heard that your mother’s wings were pure white, and that didn’t change how anyone felt about her.

“But… That’s not the same as no color…” She paused, thinking, before perking up slightly. “But, at least I’m actually growing wings. I had started to worry that I might not, since I’m only half… And who knows? Maybe once they’re bigger, there’ll be colors on them.”

The fox shade nodded. I never doubted that you would get wings.

“I wish I could show everyone back in the Fairy King’s Forest.” Suddenly, Zinnia’s eyes darkened. “Kay, too, wanted to see my wings… He would’ve… been so excited…” She drooped, slowly descending from where she had been floating, until she was resting on fallen leaves on the forest floor. “I wish he could be here to see this…” Here gaze was growing darker and darker.

Z-Zinnia, Zephyr stuttered, fearing what might happen if he allowed her to go on. I’m certain that he’s watching now. And he wouldn’t want you to be upset about him! He didn’t dare mention the fact that, had they been able to save the human boy, he wouldn’t even be alive right now anyway. It had been far too long ago, and he would have passed of old age by now.

But the fox’s words didn’t seem to help. Darkness began to edge her face and arms, and her tiny wings turned pitch black. The green of her eyes was no longer visible, and they were the black of a demon’s.

A twig snapped, ringing clearly through the quiet trees.

Zinnia immediately jumped to her feet, all signs of sorrow and darkness gone. “Who’s there?”

No one answered. Instead, a scuffling noise sounded behind some nearby trees and shrubs. Zinnia floated a few feet into the air to see a young boy rushing away from the area, towards the nearby town. With it being so quiet, she could just barely make out the whispered words “...a demon!”

She drifted back to the ground, landing lightly beside her companion. “Did you hear that?”

Yeah. He shook his head grudgingly. It seems that no matter where we go, one of us is thought to be a demon.

“I mean, with me they aren’t completely wrong…”

We need to stop him from telling people. Zephyr took a step toward the town, but Zinnia put a hand on his back to stop him.

“No, we’ll just leave. It’ll be fine.”

But what if they send people searching for you?

She shook her head. “Do you really think that they’ll believe the words of a child? We’ll stay the night here and leave in the morning.”

Zephyr sighed, but said no more. He didn’t even bother telling her that the boy who had seen them wasn’t a child by human standards, but a young adult. The fox had been able to gather that from what he had glimpsed through the brush.

That evening, Zephyr couldn’t sit still. Zinnia trusted that no one would come for them, but Zephyr knew better. He knew that it was only a matter of time until they would hear the approach of countless humans through the trees. That was how humans were, after all. And, even if they ended up getting away unscathed, word of a demon in the area would spread, and people would become suspicious of a lone, unknown traveler. But no matter what he said, Zephyr knew, Zinnia had made up her mind and wouldn’t leave until the morning.

So, while his fairy companion began to settle down for the night, snuggling deep into her cloak, Zephyr mentally prepared himself for what he knew he had to do.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Clouds scudded across the moon, casting long shadows across the land. The forest was so dark that it was nearly impossible to see, and the lack of warming sunlight caused the freezing breeze to bite right through Zephyr’s thick fur. Luckily, the shadows were to the fox’s advantage, and soon he wouldn’t feel the cold.

I’ll be back soon, he murmured the words to Zinnia’s sleeping form as he extracted himself from her warm grip. He instantly felt cold where her body had been, but shook himself, fluffing out the fur. Zephyr took one last look at Zinnia, who now curled into an even tighter ball at the cold, before jumping into the nearest shadow.

The cold fell away, along with almost all color. Zephyr could sense the landscape open up all around him through the shadows. He could still see outside of the darkness, and it was almost like there was a dim light source everywhere he looked, allowing him to easily see in the pitch black forest. Though the area around the fox himself was darker than even the forest. If someone else were in the shadows with him and tried to look at him now, all they would see would be his pure white eyes. Were they to try to look at him from outside the shadows, they might notice that one shadow was a fraction of a shade darker than the others, but people didn’t generally notice that.

Taking a deep breath at the comforting feeling of the shadows closing in around him, Zephyr began to silently make his way towards the town. To him it felt like simply walking, but he knew that in reality he was moving from shadow to shadow - a job made easier by the dark night.

He followed the lingering scent of the human boy through the woods, but it became muddled as soon as he reached the smooth cobblestone streets of the town. Hundreds of different scents confused Zephyr’s powerful nose, making it impossible to pick out the one he was after.

“I’m telling you, it was a demon !”

“Hush!”

Zephyr pricked his ears in time to hear someone in a nearby house shut a window. He searched for the source of the noise, and could just barely make out the sound of voices when he passed in front of a house that still had candles burning inside. Slipping inside through the shadow under the door, Zephyr listened in.

“Demons are long gone; they have been for five hundred years. Now don’t let me hear this topic again.” A middle aged woman in a nightgown was saying to a dark haired boy of about seventeen. The boy certainly smelled like the one Zephyr had been tracking. He was a twig of a boy, and had long, lanky limbs.

“Why don’t you believe me, mother? Father does!” the boy was saying. “He said that we could gather up some of the men and hunt it down tonight.”

Zephyr’s blood ran cold. Of course, he knew this was a possible outcome. He’s already told his mother and father… I cannot let this rumour spread farther.

“Did I not raise you right when you were a child? If it really was a demon you saw, you wouldn’t have returned.” She shook her head. “Youth nowadays…”

“I don’t care what you think! Father and I will keep the town safe! You just stay here.”

Just then, a burly man stepped out of a back room brandishing a rusted sword. “It’s not the mightiest blade, but it’ll have to do.”

“Father, help me make Mother see reason.” The boy stood up from the armchair he had been sitting in.

But the broad man just smiled and shook his head. “Leave your mother out of this, boy. Let her rest while the men do the work.”

The woman just harrumphed , but didn’t seem to want to argue with her husband.

The boy smiled. “So we’re really going?”

“Of course! We just need to stop by the blacksmith first to pick you up a sword. I’m sure that he’ll let you borrow one for this. Hell! We might even convince him to come with us.” The man started walking toward the door, quickly followed by the boy.

Zephyr felt bad. Even though they wanted to go hunt Zinnia down on account of being a demon, they still seemed like nice enough people. But he knew where his loyalties lie. This is my only chance.

He leapt out of the shadows at the closest human, claws and fangs bared. His teeth sank into the back of the boy’s neck, instantly snapping the bone and crushing his windpipe. The boy fell to the ground, dead. He hadn’t even had time to feel the pain. The next targets, now aware of the fox’s presence, wouldn’t have that mercy. Zephyr dove back into the shadows, hiding from the humans’ sight.

“What-” The woman started to speak, but Zephyr bolted out of her own shadow, knocking her to the floor. She barely got out a short scream before she, too, was dead. The fox immediately went back into his realm.

By now, though, the man had turned around, aware that he was being hunted. Horror and hate filled his eyes, but he held his sword with purpose. “Is that you, demon? Come to take me and mine? Well come at me! Come!”

Zephyr could tell that it hadn’t fully set in with him that his wife and son were dead. Perhaps if it had, he would just allow himself to be killed. Or perhaps Zephyr was wrong, and the man just knew that he needed revenge for his loved ones.

Aiming as precisely as he could, Zephyr jumped out of the shadows once again. He hit his mark, gouging his claws into the man’s throat - but not before the man could score his sword down Zephyr’s side.

The man’s death was a messy one. He fell to the floor, blood gurgling at his throat, and tried to crawl towards his son. He only just managed to grasp the boy’s cooling hand before the light left his eyes.

Zephyr hissed in pain, but he surveyed the room with a dark satisfaction. All witnesses were gone. Zinnia was safe.

“Momma? Daddy?” Dread filled Zephyr as he heard the sound of a back door creaking open followed by a child’s voice. “Did Onii-san get tha monster?”

When the little boy had fully opened the door, his eyes landed on the bodies of his family, then went to Zephyr. Their eyes met. He couldn’t have been older than four or five.

Zephyr swallowed. I’m so sorry…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Screams and shouts echoed behind him through the woods as Zephyr stood at a creek, attempting to wash the iron tang of blood from his mouth. He had already gotten most of it from his paws, and was determined to get as much of it off of him as possible before returning to Zinnia.

He had been unable to use the shadows to return, as the wound on his side bit into him deeply. It would be excruciating to attempt that. Due to that, though, he had had to break out of one of the house’s windows, since he was unable to open doors. The noise, not to mention the earlier shouts and the cut-off scream, had drawn the attention of the neighbors. Now it seemed that the whole town knew that the family had been murdered. But they didn’t know about the demon, and that was all Zephyr cared about.

Zephyr rolled in the water one last time in an attempt to clean his wound before standing up, soaking wet, and heading back towards Zinnia. Luckily, it appeared that the townsfolk hadn’t followed him into the woods yet. He had done his best to wipe off his paws in the house so as to not leave tracks, but Zephyr knew that it was only a matter of time before they saw whatever he had missed. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be able to track him past this creek.

It took awhile, and Zephyr’s side was in pain the whole way, but eventually the fox came in sight of the bit of forest where he had left Zinnia sleeping. Only, she wasn’t asleep anymore.

“What’s going on?” She asked, worriedly flying right up to him as he collapsed on his side. “Why are you wounded?” When she touched her hand to his side, she screwed up her face slightly. “And sopping wet?”

I did what had to be done, he panted. We should probably get going. They could find my trail any minute. He pushed himself back up and started limping in the same direction he had been going. Zinnia followed.

The fairy looked confused for a moment at his words, then horrified realization dawned on her. “Zephyr, you didn’t?!” When he didn’t respond, she went on. “Did you kill him?! You killed that boy?! W-why? How could you…”

You have no idea the lengths I would go to in order to keep you safe, Zephyr murmured darkly. As he said this, he found that he could still taste the innocent little boy’s blood, lingering even after he had washed his mouth.

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: An Old Friend Back Again

Zephyr shook his head but smiled helplessly. I should’ve guessed that you’d want to fight. Hopefully that training with Harlequin-sama will pay off. In fact… He closed his eyes and tilted his head from side to side, focusing. It appears that the nearest battle includes Harlequin-sama and Diane-sama. But… He opened his eyes and looked to me in confusion. That can’t be right… 

I could barely hear those last words, and brushed them aside. Surely I’d figure it out when we got there. “Well, I guess that’s where we’re headed, then. Which way?”

The fox simply tilted his head. It appeared to be closer to the castle. I must have passed them in my rush to leave - though it was off to the side, so I wouldn’t have been able to see them anyway.

“Got it.”

As soon as Zephyr slid back into my shadow, I floated a little off the ground and hurried in the direction he had indicated. Normally, I would just fly over the buildings, but with all the fights going on, anyone would be able to see me that way. It was better to use the streets. So that left me zigzagging through alleyways, back and forth and back again. I ran into dead ends so many times that I was worried that the fight would be over before I even got there. Soon enough, though, I could hear the sounds of voices up ahead. 

At first the sounds were muffled. It sounded like two people talking back and forth. Then, as I turned a corner, Harlequin’s voice became clearer. “... I’m not asking you to understand how much she means to me.”

“Ooooh~ Then you should wrap her up and keep her in your breast pocket. Which you can’t~”

Whose voice is that? It sounds… familiar… It sounded like a voice I’d heard a long time ago, but I just couldn’t place it. I sped up my pace.

“You, of all people, should understand the pain of losing something important to you!” Harlequin shouted at the unknown person.

They responded with a tsk! “Then do you understand the pain of witnessing something important to you being broken? Like this.” I heard a whoosh, followed by the sound of something being hit. “Oooh! Nice save!” They were clapping. Whoever they were, they sounded weirdly playful. “How about this?”

I started to try to block out the sounds. I needed to focus on getting there. Whatever was going on, it didn’t sound like it was going in Harlequin’s favor. Even if I knew this person at some point in my life, they were fighting one of my friends now, and I would have to fight them. Harlequin was the Fairy King, after all; fairies had to side with him, didn’t they?

I turned another corner and another. Finally, though, as the sounds of conversation died down, I found an opening to a swath of destruction. Buildings were crushed; the ground was torn apart in giant seams, where it looked like something had been ripped from the earth; blood was splattered here and there. But those weren’t what I was looking at. What appeared to be giant roots were rearing up out of the ground lashing again and again at something I couldn’t see through the combined dust and roots. Floating above it all, behind those flailing attacks, was a green-clad fairy with green hair to match. Even though he wasn’t facing my way, I knew that his eyes were gold. In front of him, a singular root was wrapped around a limp Harlequin’s throat.

“Were you able to see your precious giant being made into mince meat?” the green fairy asked the Fairy King. “Here - let me give you a front row seat.” He flicked his wrist, causing the root to fling Harlequin right into where the other giant roots had been attacking, only the roots were now still. Clouds of dust covered the area, making it impossible to see where Harlequin landed.

But now I wasn’t looking at Harlequin. I was worried, yes, but I was too focused on the other fairy. “H-Helbram…?”

Helbram twitched, but before he could look back, something else caught both of our attention. The dust had cleared, revealing Diane, who was beat up and nearly unconscious. She was surrounded by a giant green bubble that had ring-shaped markings all over it. Inside, Harlequin was starting to stand up from where he had been thrown to the ground.

“It can’t be… My attack didn’t touch her at all?!” Helbram looked worried.

I didn’t really hear the rest of what he was saying, though. I was lost in the past. How could Helbram be in front of me now - and attacking his best friend at that?! I had thought he had died! When I had been living not far from the fairy king’s forest, he would come to visit me now and then. He was the one that asked Harlequin to help make my dress. He was my only companion other than Zephyr for hundreds of years. But then he disappeared for 700 years. I had been worried, but I knew fairies to be forgetful and lose track of time. He had stopped coming for a hundred years a different time, so I was pretty certain that he would still come back. But then, when the forest burned down… that was when I lost hope. That was when I gave up on life. I had decided that if my life was determined to rip away everyone I cared about, there was no point in living it. First Onii-chan and everyone in the forest, then Kay, then Helbram, not to mention all the others in between, they all had been taken away from me. Zephyr was the only constant, and he’d be better off without me anyway; I always dragged him into things that he wanted nothing to do with.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. Helbram was right here in front of me! Had I been wrong? Had he really not been taken away? But…

He was attacking Harlequin and Diane…

And he seemed… off…

I jerked myself back to the present, only to realize that Harlequin was in the air again, speaking to Helbram.

“Helbram… Do you plan to go on? Even after 700 years… do you still wish to wipe out humanity?” Harlequin’ face was mostly wiped of emotions, other than a light determination. But, for some reason, it seemed… sad…

Wipe out humanity?! What was he talking about? I thought I remembered Helbram loving humans? In fact, right before he disappeared, he had given me a gift of a green ribbon that he had gotten from a traveling merchant. He had also gotten a flute or a whistle or something - it was hard to remember - before saying that he was going to go back to the merchant the next day with some other fairies. But, he never returned.

I touched the new green ribbon that I had tied around my neck in remembrance. The old one had disintegrated over the 700 years.

“It’s not about if I ‘plan to go on…’” Helbram was saying, clenching his body in anger. “It’s that I ‘can’t stop now!!’” He unfurled himself, screaming into the air. “HOLY KNIGHTS!! GRANT ME ALL YOUR POWER!!” And then, in a quieter voice, “ Blind Follow .”

Zinnia, something’s wrong with Helbram-san. I heard Zephyr whisper from my shadow.

“Well, that’s pretty obvious,” I murmured back. This must have been what he had been confused about earlier.

I could practically feel the fox shade shake his head. No, I mean past the obvious. I can feel it; he’s being manipulated. It feels like… it feels like he should be dead, but something is holding him here and, whatever it is, it’s making him like this.

“Oh…” I could feel a little bit of hope growing in me, only for it to sputter out. “But didn’t you hear Harlequin-sama? Even before this, he wanted to wipe out humanity. Something must have happened when he disappeared. And… and if what you say is true, that means that he really died…”

I don’t think that all this rage is completely his. Whatever is manipulating him appears to be amplifying his hatred.

“So what do you suppose I do about it?”

At this point, the two fairies were attacking in a flurry of movements. Even if I wanted to join in the fight, (Not that I could. I was pretty frozen to the spot right now.) I would be dead within heartbeats of entering the air.

I think that you might be able to save him. Zephyr’s voice wavered for a moment, but it steadied instantly. Dyrnwyn should be able to-

Helbram and Harlequin had stopped moving, and were now talking to each other, but suddenly blood sprayed out of Helbram’s shoulder. He fell through the air, landing with a dull thud.

I couldn’t hold myself back. “Helbram!!!” I felt all eyes fall on me as I sped across the now-deserted battlefield. I didn’t care, though. I only noticed that Harlequin was standing next to Helbram, holding an old helmet, when I dropped onto my knees next to the bloody fairy. My hair fell in my face in messy clumps, but I didn’t even bother to brush it back.

Helbram was speaking quiet, broken words to Harlequin when I arrived. “I thought… you… if anybody… would… appreciate it… I got it… from a human… But… I really… am a… fool… I’ve got… no… common sense…” He seemed to be fading in and out.

“You’re right.” Tears were falling down Harlequin’s angry face in streams. “You really are… a fool!”

“No no no no…” I grabbed Helbram’s hand. I didn’t care if it was disrespectful or something to interrupt them. This couldn’t happen. I couldn’t go through his death twice. I hadn’t even witnessed the first time, but it was enough.

“Z… Zinnia… chan…?” Helbram looked up at me, his eyes clouded. The edges of his mouth curled upward in a tiny, weak smile. “You’re wearing… the ribbon…”

I could only nod, as my throat was closed up. The tears on my face were just as bad as Harlequin’s.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t… come… back…” He seemed to be fading out, worse than before.

Zinnia! If you’re going to do as I was saying, you need to do it now !

Nodding slightly, I focused back on the dying fairy in front of me. “Y-you…” I choked out the words. “You d-don’t have to say sorry… b-because…” I couldn’t even finish the thought, and instead took a deep breath, lifting my cloak from my shoulders.

“Z-Zinnia-san, what are you doing?!” Harlequin, face soaked with tears, stepped back. He still held that helmet in his hands, and now gripped it tighter.

“Fixing this,” was all I could say, as I made my cloak float above me and Helbram. “ Dyrnwyn Seventh Form: Trillium Grandiflorum. ”

Suddenly, there was a great flash of light, as Dyrnwyn took the form of a giant flower about the height of one of the nearby houses. It appeared to normally have three snow-white petals, but there were only two, leaving an odd blank space to one side of the remaining two. Thin thread-like roots of an infinite number of lighty-glowing colors spread out from its base in every direction, floating loftily through the air, before disappearing when they reached about twenty feet away from the flower.

Normally, I would gape in wonder at the beautiful flower looming over me, as I had never used this form before - my Onii-chan had told me that my mother had used it once and what she had used it for, but that was it - but my focus was on Helbram, whose skin was paling by the second. He didn’t even seem to be aware of what was going on around him anymore, and had closed his eyes.

As I forced the focus of the giant trillium flower onto the dying fairy, the flower shrank down to about a foot tall, and most of its colorful roots disappeared, leaving only those that were leading to Helbram. Only, they didn’t just go to him - they passed through him, before going in different directions. Many of them were grayed out, but at the moment there were three particularly bright roots. One was bright blue, and it led straight to Harlequin. Another, which led to me, was pinkish-purple. The final one was the brightest of all; it was a menacing deep red. This one led towards the castle, disappearing after a few feet. But that wasn’t the worst part of this one - it seemed to be wrapped tightly around Helbram from top to bottom, and a broken thread that I somehow felt would normally shine gold but was now gray was visible underneath it, held tight to Helbram’s body. As the fairy’s life faded, so too did the brightness of the threads.

“What are those?” Harlequin’s grief was briefly distracted by the strange sight in front of him. He tried to grab the blue thread that lead to him, but his hand passed right through it.

Zephyr stepped out of my shadow, his eyes wide. Th-They’re the connections between all living things. Only… Zinnia’s spirit spear has allowed them to be visible. He sniffed at a faint bluish thread that led to him. Being a fox shade, I can always feel them, but I never thought that I’d actually get to see them…

I tried to push away the sound of them talking and to focus on the task at hand. I had never done this before, nor had I been told how to do it, but I could almost feel the different threads whispering to me, telling me what needed to be done.

Reaching for the small flower, I plucked off one of its petals, causing a crescent-shaped blade to materialize and a pale green glow to encompass my hands. I then grabbed ahold of the red thread, which just felt wrong as soon as I touched it. Using the blade, I cut the tread, causing it to turn black at the cut before the blackness ran along it in both directions and the thread disappeared. As soon as that was cut, though, all the other threads started to darken - the red one had been forcefully holding his soul in place. I dropped the blade and grabbed the grayed out broken thread. I knew that I had to connect this to one that was still bright, but I couldn’t decide whose to use - mine or Harlequin’s. Seeing the colors waver again, I shook my head and yanked at my connection to Helbram - I would just use mine. I tied the purple thread to one side of the broken cord before connecting both halves. It instantly started to glow with a watery golden color, and wrapped tightly around Helbram’s body. But…

“Why? Why isn’t it getting brighter?” I fretted. “I know that this cord’s supposed to be brighter than this! This is the one that keeps him alive!” I tried tying it in another knot, but all that did was tangle the threads, so I undid it.

Zephyr pressed into my side. Perhaps it’s because… even if you return him to how he was, he’s still dying right now. The only thing keeping him alive this second is the fact that you’re physically holding his soul in place with that root. As soon as you let go…

“Then I won’t let go! Not until we find a way to heal him.” I grasped the roots tighter in my hand, my tears from moments before threatening to return.

“This isn’t something that Pollen Garden can fix…” Harlequin told me dejectedly. At the same time, though, he seemed uncertain - but not about whether or not he could heal his best friend. “I’m not sure you should do this, Zinnia-san. You saw how he was. H-he’ll probably just try to wipe out humanity again as soon as he’s healed.” His words made him sound like he was trying to sound reasonable, but he had started sobbing midway through the sentence.

I knew that he wanted his best friend back as much as I did, but I also knew his concern.

“If that happens…” I faltered before clenching the threads under my fingers tighter, feeling blood well up under my nails. “If that happens, I’ll kill him myself. And if I fail at that, kill me. I used my connection to keep him here. As soon as I die, he dies, too.”

Zinnia! You don’t need to go that far!! Zephyr recoiled from the idea. Couldn’t you have used Harlequin-sama’s? Or even both of yours??

I remained silent. Zephyr was right; I could have used both mine and Harlequin’s. I could have made it to where Helbram’s fate didn’t hinge on a single other fairy’s life, but two. But I didn’t. In fact, I could probably change it now to where both Harlequin and I were keeping Helbram alive. But for some reason I just couldn’t make myself do that. I didn’t know if it was from the quiet instructions that I could feel guiding me telling me not to, or if it was something else. Perhaps, deep down, I was jealous of Harlequin and Helbram’s friendship. But… how could that be? I’d never seen them interact until this day, when Harlequin had practically killed the other fairy.

I shook my head before looking back at the Fairy King. “If he starts rampaging again, kill me.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You know I’d do everything in my power to stop them from killing you, right? I don’t care how many humans Helbram-san kills; I’ll take you to the other side of the world if I have to. Zephyr was limping worriedly at my side.

“Wow… You sure do… care…” I huffed, giving the fox shade a weak smile. “I would do… the same for you.” I could feel my energy draining out of me by the second as I continued moving forward at a snail’s pace.

Then stop trying to kill yourself! First starving yourself in the forest and now this?! Though he sounded annoyed, concern edged his voice.

In my exhausted state, I could only chuckle at this.

Harlequin and the others were nowhere in sight; they had left soon after I had done what I could to save Helbram. There had been some sappy conversation between Harlequin and Diane, but I could barely remember it at the moment. It had barely even registered that Gowther had been with them. Before they could leave, though, someone they had called Dreyfus had attacked Harlequin, but after some serious discussion, they seemed to have put aside their differences. I didn’t fully understand what was going on, but I really didn’t care.

The reason I didn’t care was due to the fact that I couldn’t let my attention waver. I was moving through the warring city, dragging Helbram, whose unconscious face was ghostly pale. Helbram’s blood soaked my arms and dress, and dried in clumps in my hair. There was a faint glowing around my blood-covered hands as I still gripped the connection between us tightly. It was the only thing keeping him alive, and as soon as I let go he would die. But the longer I kept Dyrnwyn in its Trillium form, the more exhausted I became; it was not meant to be kept up this long. The little flower that was balanced between Helbram’s bloody shoulder and my chest only had one petal now, and wilted worryingly.

I needed to find someone that could heal him, and quickly. If I ran into a fight, I was pretty much doomed, as I had no weapon. Zephyranthes was dashing ahead everytime we had to round a corner to make sure it was safe. I knew that it wouldn’t last, though; soon enough, a fight would come to us, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything. In other circumstances, I would ask Zephyr to take us to safety, but that would immediately worsen Helbram’s wounds and would probably kill him.

I looked up at the castle ahead of me. There’s gotta be someone who can help there, right? Helbram has been on their side all this time, so they should help… I think… As I was moving, I noted that I could feel traces of demonic energy flashing from somewhere across the city. Making an educated guess, I assumed that that must be where Meliodas was. He must be fighting someone strong to be using that.

So many things had happened since I had started trudging through the city. There had been huge electric explosions, screaming, crumbling buildings, and, worst of all, people turning into monsters like the one that the sins had fought when Gowther joined us. I barely managed to come away unscathed from that before Harlequin had appeared and defeated the monsters, returning them to humans. As it was, Zephyr had hurt his leg trying to keep the things away from me.

At one point, I had even felt magic reaching towards Helbram, attempting to bring back the mysterious red thread that I had gotten rid of, but I used the small blade that I still had to cut it immediately. I worried about what that meant. Was Helbram so close to death that the dark resurrection magic could still work on him? Why had the user activated it?

Wait… Still keeping my focus halfway on my task, I narrowed my eyes and tried to feel the demonic energy I felt from Meliodas. Only… There were two energies. How could there be two? I had thought that Meliodas and I were the last demons around. And how could one just show up out of nowhere? Judging by its proximity to the Dragon Sin, they were probably fighting. And the magic powers around that area were growing stronger and stronger. They weren’t the only ones fighting. Actually, now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen anyone in quite awhile. Had everyone gathered over there?

I shook my head. Whatever was going on, I couldn’t help. I knew I had wanted to actually fight this time around, but I had given myself a job to do, and I was going to do it right.

I looked up again and sighed in relief. There were no more buildings between me and the castle, just a straight shot. I hobbled forwards, attempting to not jostle Helbram. He was too big and heavy for me to actually carry, so his lower half was dragging along the ground, and I was trying to not go through too rough of an area, which was difficult with how much had been destroyed over the last couple of hours.

As I made my way up the steps that led to the entrance with the last of my energy, I felt magic swelling from the direction of the fighting. What’s that? I wondered faintly. The edges of my vision started to blur as I mounted the final step. It was just a little farther. Just a little farther and I could find someone to help. But it seemed like I wasn’t going to make it. Darkness was threatening to overwhelm me and I felt a little nauseous. Just... a little… farther…

I was dimly aware of Zephyr saying my name, but it sounded so far away. I just wanted to sleep. Why did this have to be so hard? What was I even doing right now? I had forgotten. I could just take a nap right now, right? No one would mind. Onii-chan would surely wake me in time for dinner. Then we could eat good food and play plenty of games. Everyone would be there: Onii-chan and Onee-san, Meliodas and Elizabeth, Harlequin and Helbram. Maybe I could even ask Onii-chan if Kay could come - he didn’t seem to have a problem with humans coming into the forest. It would be great. And when Zephyr was done with his lesson with Iris - Onii-chan’s fox shade companion - he could join us. And when that was all over...

Wait… How could Harlequin and Helbram be in the same place as Onii-chan? They had never met…

I forced open my eyes to see Helbram still in my arms as I wavered on the top step in front of the castle. Still feeling like I wasn’t fully there, I smiled. I tipped forward, no longer able to stay upright.

Just before I hit the ground, I felt the magic that I had felt in the distance a moment ago wash over me, washing away my pain and exhaustion. But I was still mentally tired, so I still felt myself losing consciousness. The last thing I saw, however, was the fading connection in my hands flaring bright gold before I let it go and it disappeared as Dyrnwyn returned to being a cloak. I could faintly feel Zephyr’s soft fur around me before even that sensation faded into nothing.

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: After the Battle

“I’ll try to come more often, I promise.”

“Really?”

I didn’t know what it was that woke me from my memory-turned-dream, but the first thing that I was aware of was the feeling of a thin blanket over me and sunshine pouring over me. I cracked open my eyes to find the ceiling of the Boar’s hat was above me once more. How many times am I going to end up here without remembering getting into bed? Still feeling tired, I turned over onto my side in an attempt to get more comfortable.

Helbram’s sleeping face greeted me.

“Wha- AHH!” I had tried to lean away but had ended up rolling off the bed in the process, landing on the floor with a hard thump! “What’s going on?” I wondered blearily, my face burning scarlet. I took note of the fact that I was back in my tavern uniform, only now my green ribbon was braided into some of my hair. Who had done that?

“There were no extra beds,” a voice said from across the room. I looked up to see that Gowther had his nose buried in a book. “King stated that you claimed responsibility for that fairy, so it was decided that he would be put in your bed for now.”

My face only turned a brighter shade of red at this. “I-I didn’t mean that he could-could-”

I didn’t even know what to say, so I snatched up my cloak, which had been neatly folded on a box next to my bed, and sprinted downstairs. Anywhere had to be better than with that unfeeling person.

But going downstairs might have actually been worse, as there were a lot of people down there. When I arrived, Meliodas was behind the bar making drinks, and Elizabeth was serving food to a few customers. This wasn’t an unusual sight. What was unusual, though, was that the only customers were three Holy Knights: Howzer, Griamore, and a vaguely familiar man with pink hair, happily drinking ale and eating Ban’s cooking. When I looked closer, I realized that Hawk was nowhere to be seen, and that there was another girl here, who was wearing a one piece pink outfit with little pom poms on the front. Diane…? She was somehow shrunken down to human size again. Harlequin was also here, floating lazily around the room on his pillow.

“Maybe I really did die…” I rubbed my eyes as I floated lazily in the stairway.

You’re not dead yet, Zinnia. I heard Zephyr speak from across the room. I hadn’t seen him originally, but now that I looked, I saw that he was being held tight by a very drunken Ban. Zephyr tugged away from the Fox Sin, but Ban only tightened his grip and grinned.

“Ehhhh~ You’re always hiding. I’m not gonna let you go now~” I could barely hear his slurred voice from where I was. He seemed to be holding Zephyr like a soft pillow. “Y’know, the others say you can talk~ Why can’t I hear you, huh?”

Zinnia, a little help? The fox shade looked across the room at me pleadingly. He pawed desperately at Ban’s arm, but it was no use.

I smiled slightly and shook my head. “Sorry; I don’t think I can help you there.”

“Hey, it looks like you’re finally awake!” Meliodas had noticed me from his spot behind the bar, before setting down a tankard for Elizabeth to bring to Howzer, who already looked more than a little tipsy. “I hear that you also did what you could to help out the other day.”

“The other day?” I had assumed that I had only been out for a day at most, but it didn’t sound like it.

“Yep! You’ve been asleep for about a week now. You’ve missed out on a bunch, including a match between me and Ban - which I won.” Meliodas laughed.

“No you didn’t, Cap’n~! I won~” Ban cried, releasing Zephyr in his indignation, who quickly made his way to my side.

Harlequin sighed, and I noticed that his face was also pink from the drink he was holding. “It was a tie.” As though suddenly realizing who it was that was being spoken to, his eyes widened and he zoomed across the room so that he was facing me. “Zinnia! You’re awake!! Has Helbram woken up yet?”

My brow furrowed when I noticed that he wasn’t using honorifics, but I answered him. “No, not yet. I’m assuming that he’s also been out this whole time?”

The other fairy nodded. “We’ve been keeping an eye on him, since we don’t know what’ll happen when he wakes up.”

“That explains why Gowther was up there…” I held my chin in thought. “But… That still doesn’t explain why he was put in the same bed with me… ”

“Ehhh, w-well…” Harlequin turned away and scratched his chin. “That was Ban’s idea. He thought it would be funny. And since we didn’t have enough space anyway…” Trailing off, he changed the subject, sobering slightly. “How do you even know Helbram, if you weren’t in the Fairy King’s Forest?”

“Welllll…” I tucked a bit of hair behind my ear, taking a moment to feel the ribbon in my hair. “It’s not like I didn’t want to live there… More like I was told to not return until my Onii-chan came to get me, and I promised him to always listen when it came to big things like this. Not to mention the fact that since I was sent away from there via a fox shade other than Zephyr, I had no idea how to return. When I finally found it again, I found a nice little place nearby to live so that I could feel more at home while I waited.” I looked away, embarrassed. “It was pretty frustrating to not know what was going on in the Fairy King’s Forest, so I would occasionally send Zephyanthes to… look around…”

Meliodas, who had sat down at the bar during this conversation, glanced at Zephyr, then back at me. “So you sent him to spy?”

Zephyr just sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

“N-no!!” I stuttered, tightening my grip on my cloak. “That implies that I was planning on doing something bad! I just wanted to know what was going on in the forest! Oh! That was probably how Zephyr recognized you when we first met, Harlequin-sama! He must have seen you during at least one of these visits.”

Harlequin looked annoyed and like he wanted to reprimand me, but he just sighed loudly and pinched his nose. “So Zephyranthes-kun was your spy… But what does this have to do with Helbram?”

“Oh, sorry, I was getting to that.” I picked up where I had left off. “So, one of the times that Zephyr went into the forest, Helbram noticed him and followed him back to me. After that, Helbram would come and visit every now and then. It was nice, finally getting to see another fairy after so long.” I smiled, remembering all the fun we had, before the smile faded. “It was pretty worrying when he just up and disappeared. I mean, he had done that before, but not for so long. A-and then twenty years ago…” I went silent, clutching my cloak tightly to my chest and breathing into it.

Harlequin, who had been watching in rapt silence, softened his gaze, knowing that that was when the forest had burned down. “I see. It sounds like you missed him almost as much as I did.”

Almost? I wanted to ask, but I didn’t.

“A-anyways!” I exclaimed after about ten seconds of awkward silence. “What’s going on? Why are there Holy Knights here? Did we win?”

And so, the group filled me in on everything that happened from the time that I had been kidnapped with Elizabeth and Hawk. From having Diane throw Meliodas, Ban, and Gowther into the city, to finding out that Hendrickson was behind everything, to Merlin and King Arthur appearing, to everyone turning into demons, and, eventually, everyone fighting together against the demonized Hendrickson and coming out victorious. Even though many had lost their lives over the course of the day, we had prevailed. Even Hawk had done his part.

“Wait, where is Hawk-chan?” I asked the room in general.

The pink-haired Holy Knight, who I had been informed was named Gilthunder, leaned back, revealing a tiny Hawk that was just cleaning out the last of the scraps from a small bowl on the table. He stood up, looking around. “Someone called? Are there more scraps?”

Zephyr licked his lips. Can I eat it? It’s perfectly bite-sized.

“Wha- No!!” I smacked the fox’s head playfully. “You can’t eat Hawk-chan, no matter how small he is.”

Across the room, Ban burst out laughing, while Hawk only squealed in fear.

Zephyr pouted, but I could easily tell that he was only playing by the twitch of his ears and the curve of his lips.

“Oh, Zinnia!” Diane called, before approaching. “You woke up just in time for tonight’s festival, you should go! There’ll be fireworks and everything.”

“Ehhh… but I don’t have anyone to go with…”

Zephyr looked up at me, annoyed. Hey, do I just not exist or something? He sniffed pointedly.

“Oh, sorry, Zephyr!” I patted him gently on the head. “I just meant like… I don’t know…”

“Like a lover?” Meliodas suddenly appeared behind Elizabeth and grabbed her breasts. I was expecting her to at least scream, but she only squeaked and turned red. Hawk, on the other hand, reprimanded Meliodas, but the captain paid him no mind.

“Y-yeah, something like that…” I looked to the ceiling to avoid the sight, my cheeks blushing brightly.

Zephyr flicked his ears back and looked away. I see…

A weird tingling feeling that I had never felt before made me look closer at the ceiling. “Huh?”

“What is it?” Harlequin asked.

“I think… I think that Helbram’s waking up…”

“How would you- H-hey!” I was already on my way up the stairs before the fairy could even finish his question.

Upon opening the door, I knew that whatever the feeling was, it had been right. The green-haired fairy was tossing and turning, muttering words under his breath. “N-no… Stop!... Stop tearing…” sweat was running down his face in streams.

“H-Helbram!!” I rushed across the room and sat down on the bed next to him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I shook him lightly. “Wake up. It’s just a dream.”

As soon as I touched him, he calmed and slowly opened his eyes. “Zinnia-chan? Zinnia? Did you die, too?”

“No.” I smiled softly, noticing both Zephyr and Harlequin coming in the door. “Neither of us are dead. See for yourself.”

He halfway sat up, pressing himself against the covers, to see the other fairy and the fox shade. His eyes lit up when he saw Harlequin. “Harlequin!!” He instantly shot out of bed and rushed at his friend, hugging him midair. For some reason, I felt a slight disappointment in my gut at the difference between Helbram’s greeting with me and his greeting with the other fairy.

“Helbram!!” The Fairy King hugged him back. “A-are you okay?” He held Helbram away from him, looking him up and down. “I mean, do you...”

“Want to murder every human that I see?” Helbram guessed. “Slightly. But it’s not as bad as before.” He smiled and tapped his skull a couple of times with his fist. “I think I was going a little crazy back there.”

It better not be as bad as before, Zephyr growled. You have no idea what burden Zinnia has taken on to keep you alive.

“Hey, Zephyr-kun!” Helbram turned to the fox shade, reaching out to pet him, but Zephyr narrowed his eyes and stepped out of reach. Helbram closed his outstretched hand, looking hurt. “What’s wrong?”

You break a promise to Zinnia, disappear, murder countless humans, and attempt to kill the Fairy King, and you ask me what’s wrong ? Zephyr sighed and shook his head, but didn’t say any more.

Helbram’s expression darkened. He looked to me for help, only to discover that tears were running down my face. “W-what?”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I rushed forward and hugged my old friend. “Helbram! I’m so glad you’re back!” I sobbed into his shirt. He seemed surprised by my action, and held his arms up in the air. “You promised! You said you would come back the next day! You promised to visit more often! But you never came back! How do you think that made me feel?!” My words may have sounded mad at him, but I was only relieved for him to be here. “Next time you do something stupid like that, I’m coming with you.”

I felt him shudder. “No you’re not.” When I finally let go of him, he gave me one of his signature mischievous smiles. “I’m here now, aren’t I? By the way, why’s he here?” He pointed his thumb at Gowther, who was still silently reading on his side of the room.

“Oh, you mean Gowther,” Harlequin told him. “He was told to…” He trailed off, probably realizing that it might not be the best idea to tell the fairy that there was a guard on him. “He shares this room with Zinnia.”

“This is Zinnia’s room?” He looked around, taking in the messy, dusty boxes that I had never bothered to organize.

“Yeah,” I told him. “And the bed you were in is also…” I looked away blushing. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was blushing a little bit too, which only made me blush more. “Oh, Diane-sama told me that there’s a festival tonight!” I tried to change topics. “It sounds like fun. While it might not be the best idea for you to go into town itself with your feelings about humans - no matter how slight - I’m sure you could see the fireworks from here.”

Helbram smiled and clapped his hands together, floating into the air slightly. “Fireworks? Sounds interesting! We should watch them together, Zinnia!!”

“U-Um-” My face reddened even more than a moment ago, remembering the conversation downstairs about bringing someone to the festival. With a moment of clarity, I realized that Helbram had no idea about the conversation, and just wanted to take me as a friend. He’d probably invite Harlequin, too. Face still red, I nodded. “O-Okay!”

Harlequin looked back and forth between the two of us, inspecting both of our expressions. He seemed to come to some conclusion, as he quickly said “I think I hear Diane calling for me! I’m going back downstairs.” He had quickly disappeared through the doorway and was gone.

Then it was only Zephyr, me, and Helbram. Well, Gowther was still here, but he wasn’t paying any attention. Zephyr, though, was glaring daggers at Helbram.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Woah! Look at that one!” Helbram grinned as another burst of color lit up the night sky above us with a bang.

I hadn’t seen fireworks before, so I was just as amazed, but I had so many questions. “Didn’t you get to see fireworks while you lived here? You must’ve seen them plenty of times by now.” I looked up at the sky, the light of a bright blue flare shining in my eyes.

“Ehhhh…” He cocked his head slightly to the side, scratching his head. “It didn’t happen often, and I was always so busy… And to tell you the truth, my memory of the past few years is kinda blurry.”

“I see.”

We lapsed into silence as we watched the lights flowering above us.

I shifted, trying to get more comfortable on the wooden roofing of the Boar’s Hat. Zephyr had decided not to watch the fireworks, claiming that he’d prefer to explore the city, which was in the middle of being rebuilt. He’d said that surely now that the people had seen real demons, no one would be scared of him. That, and he had been making a point to be seen around the Sins so that people knew he was with them. He wanted to use his newfound freedom to wander the town by himself on his own four paws. Or at least, that was what he had told me.

My mind wandered. I couldn’t help but wonder, why weren’t Helbram’s memories clear? Did I do something wrong when I had tried to save him? Or was it something to do with the magic that had originally revived him…? Whatever it was, I just hoped it didn’t come back to bite us.

“Hey, Helbram?” I ventured.

“Hmm?” His golden eyes turned towards me.

“Do you remember the promise you made before you left?”

He looked back to the sky. “The one to come by more often?”

“The other one.” I followed his gaze, where a quick series of purple and gold lights were flashing, ending in a flash of multicolored sparkles.

Helbram clasped his hands behind his head and grinned roguishly. “The one to search the human realm for the best apple pie ever?”

I snorted, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, that one. Though I was more focused on the adventure part than the apple pie.”

“Yeah, I remember it. What about it?”

“I was just wondering if you remembered…” I leaned back into my cloak. “I was looking forward to it.”

Helbram sprang up. “Have you found it?”

“Found what?” I looked at him like he’d gone crazy before floating up alongside him.

“The best apple pie. Have you found it?”

“Well… no… I don’t think I’ve even had one since we made that promise…” I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Don’t tell me…”

“Then let’s go!” He showed me a closed-eye smile. “We can still find it together!” He held out his hand.

I was pretty sure that the pink fireworks were hiding my blush. “Y-you know that the pie thing was a joke, right?”

He didn’t stop smiling. “So? Let’s do it! It sounds like it’ll be fun!”

Giving a weak smile, I reached out my hand. What would happen, I wondered, if we left right now? What if we went to explore the world, forgetting about the craziness of the past thousand years or so? I couldn’t leave Zephyranthes, of course, so we’d grab him first, but after that? We could do anything.

Before I could clasp hands with the other fairy, a group of humans passed by, laughing and shouting. They pointed to the fireworks, smiling and whooping at the flashes and noise, before continuing to settle down on a hill far enough away that I couldn’t hear them anymore.

I looked back at Helbram to see that he still had his hand partially outstretched, but it was in a shakingly tight fist, and he seemed frozen in place. His gaze was locked on the group. He murmured a few indiscernible phrases under his breath, before shuddering.

I quickly grabbed his wrist and yanked him into the attic of the tavern through the balcony door. He didn’t resist, and instead seemed to be lost in the recesses of his mind. I could see pain and torture in his eyes, and I tried to gently settle him on my bed. “S-so perhaps now’s not the best time to go exploring in a world full of humans…” I tried to smile, but he didn’t seem to see me. “Helbram?” I worriedly set my hand on his shoulder.

He looked at me, his vision clearing. He blinked a few times, sweat running down his temple. “What?” He looked around the room. “When did we get inside?”

“U-ummm…” What was I supposed to say? “Just now. You seemed a little out of it. You remember what we were talking about, right?”

“Of course. We were talking about how I hadn’t gotten to see many fireworks in these past few years, right?” He glanced out the window, where a red firework flashed brightly. “Did I miss something?”

I bit my tongue. “Nope! That’s pretty much it!”

Well this wasn’t good.

Bonus 5: The Ribbon

“When is Helbram coming back? How long’s it been? Ten years now?”

Ten years and five months to be exact.

I sighed.

Ten years and five months. It felt like longer. Sure, to fairies like Helbram and I, it wasn’t very long, but I’d spent so much time among humans, then in near solitude, that even a day could feel like an eternity. And then, about seven or eight hundred years ago, Helbram had followed my fox shade friend Zephyranthes back to my hiding place (which wasn’t very hidden in the first place, just very secluded), and he had befriended me. Ever since then, I lived for the times when he would come to visit. He’d often beg me to come with him to the fairy forest, reminding me that, as a fairy, it was my home too, but I had a promise to uphold, so I refrained. But oh, how I wanted to go.

If you want him to visit so much, I could go check the Fairy King’s Forest for you, and ask him to come. Zephyr broke into my thoughts. If he’s not there, we could go search for him together.

“Well, that would be nice…” But I don’t want to be left here alone, I added silently.

I should have spoken the last bit aloud, for the fox responded, Then it’s settled. I shall return shortly. Diving into the shadow of a nearby tree, he was gone.

“Ah, wait, no…” But it was too late. Sighing again, I looked around the place that had been my home for the last roughly thousand years.

Sunshine danced through the yellowing leaves of the late-fall trees that surrounded the small clearing, and the opening in the forest mostly consisted of a large, stone-floored pool of water fed by a shimmering waterfall. The water that was refreshing in the warmer months was ice-cold this time of year, and just the thought of entering its depths made me shiver. The pebbled banks of the pond, along with the banks of the creek that led away from the falls, gave way to a mossy wall of forest that acted as a barrier from the outside world. But, as the leaves fell to the forest floor, the privacy that I usually enjoyed was diminished. Even while leaves continued to fall here, just a short distance away the Fairy King’s Forest enjoyed an eternal spring filled with flowers and green leaves.

Floating a few feet off the ground, I wrapped my cloak tightly around my small frame. A chill wind was blowing through the branches of the forest, causing crisp leaves to rustle and the trees to creak.

The cold was always more pronounced when I was alone.

What to do, what to do… I wanted to find some way to occupy my time while I waited for my friend to get back. Perhaps I could wander around the woods - see if there’s anything new? Not that there would be… Ah ha! I suddenly remembered.

Winding my way lazily through the silent forest, I made my way towards a small grove of apple trees. I remembered seeing them as saplings not long before the last time Helbram had visited. They should be plenty big enough to bear fruit by now. I soon reached the place I remembered seeing them. There were three large trees, and they all were covered in ripe, red apples.

“Ah, perfect!” I said to myself before removing my cloak and turning it into a makeshift bag. While I would be cold for a short while, my cloak was all I had that would work for this. I was soon collecting apples from the lower branches of the trees and filling my cloak with them. “How I wish that I had an oven, or even a stove.” I was speaking to the air around me. I had picked up the habit from talking to Zephyr all the time, as he was often hidden in the shadows where I couldn’t see him. Even though I knew that the fox wasn’t around, the habit had stuck, and I would often think aloud even when I was alone. “Having spent quite a few years with humans, I got spoiled… I’d give anything for an apple pie right now. Sure, plain apples taste good, but having raw fruits and vegetables all the time for hundreds of years can become quite boring.”

“Then why don’t we get you an apple pie?” came a familiar, mischievous voice from beside me, causing me to gasp. I turned, almost dropping the apple I was currently holding, to see that Helbram was floating around the branches of the apple tree beside me. A few apples were stacked in a precarious pile in his arms. A light smirk tugged at his lips. “Hey Zinnia.”

“‘Hey’? ‘ Hey ’? It’s been over ten years and all you say is ‘ hey ’?!” I dropped my bag (softening its fall with levitation), flew straight at him, and pushed him, causing all of the apples to fall from his arms. “Not even a ‘sorry I was gone so long’? You said you’d be back in a week, a year at most!” I took a deep breath and swiped my hand across my face, only to find that my cheeks were wet.

“Ummm… Sorry I was gone so long…?” Helbram seemed confused, and he looked forlornly at the now-bruised apples that were scattered across the ground. “But ten years isn’t that long, so why are you so upset? Harlequin’s been gone for almost seven hundred years now, and you don’t see me complaining.”

Yeah, I guess that’s right… He probably hadn’t even noticed that it was such a long time. I shouldn’t have expected so much from him… “It’s just… you know that I don’t have a normal fairy’s life. I was practically raised by humans, so my perception of time is different from other fairies’.” I sniffled and rubbed my face again before slowly drifting to the ground.

Helbram followed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?” He tried again. He started to pick up a dropped apple as though to collect them again, but he set it back down and turned his full attention to me. “I’m sorry. I forget that you’re like that. I’m kinda surprised that I do, considering that when we first met, I thought that you were a human! I visited you all the time back then, since I thought that you weren’t going to have a very long life. I’m so used to only being around fairies that I didn’t even notice that you weren’t aging! You actually seemed to be getting frustrated that I wasn’t noticing…” He chuckled and smiled slightly. “I’ll try to come more often, I promise.”

“Really?” My face was red now, be it from the cold, the crying, or something else, I didn’t know. All I knew was that the green-haired fairy was rarely this serious. He was usually one to joke and play all the time. “You better be telling the truth…”

“Of course!” He performed a mock-salute before picking up the apple again.

~ ~ ~

“Hey, Aren’t you wondering why I was gone so long?”

We had returned to the waterfall clearing, as I didn’t want Zephyr to worry if he returned and couldn’t find me. I was now pouring out the contents of my cloak onto a soft-looking patch of dirt before putting my cloak back on to keep out the chilly air.

“I mean, of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?” I picked up an apple and examined it, only to find that it appeared to be home to something, and throwing it as far as I could into the trees. I only glanced up when I noticed that my friend had stopped speaking. He was looking at me expectantly and teasingly. I sighed before caving to him. “‘Why were you gone so long, Helbram?’” The words were strung out slowly and had no inflection, but they were enough for the boy.

“I was exploring the human realm!” He seemed super excited, and he clapped his hands together. The force of the clap caused his floating self to start spinning ever so slightly. “Though that was only during the first few years. The rest of the time I spent in the Fairy King’s Forest, keeping Elaine company. Since Harlequin’s missing, she’s been pretty bored and lonely…” Seeing the look on my face at this comment, he swiftly changed the subject. “Oh! I found some merchants nearby that were really nice. They were giving out flutes!” He pulled out what appeared to be a clay flute as proof. “And I managed to get them to give me something else too. I thought you’d appreciate a gift.”

Hmm? So he actually thought of me while he was gone? I couldn’t help but smile. I light blush danced across my cheeks, but the red light of the setting sun helped conceal it.

The gold-eyed fairy was now searching through his clothes. He checked all the pockets on both his shirt and pants, and even flipped the pockets inside-out to make sure. I think that he was just about to take his shirt off when a green bundle fell out of the folds of his clothes. “There it is!” He picked it up off the ground and dusted it off before handing me the gift. “It’s not much, and it could’ve probably been made better by fairies, but I think that the humans’ method of making fabrics is really interesting! I thought you’d like it too.”

Opening up the bundle, I realized that the bundle itself was the present. It was a coiled up green ribbon. The silken fabric was deep, emerald green, and when I unrolled it, it had to be a good five feet long (That’s about as long as I was tall!), and was about two or three inches wide.

“I just thought you’d like it, what with you growing up around humans. I’ve heard that human girls put a lot into their outfits. I know that it’s not the same color as your dress, but I thought it’d be fine since it’s the same color as your eyes-” 

He was cut off by me hugging him. When I let go, I gave him a big grin. “I love it! Thank you so much, Helbram. I’m sorry I don’t have anything for you…”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t expect you to, considering that you don’t really ever leave this place.” He smiled sheepishly. “So, what are you going to do with that ribbon?”

“I was thinking that I could tie it around my waist or my neck. It’d hopefully look nice in either place.” And so I wrapped the fabric around my neck and tied it. I was trying to go for a bow, but it’d been awhile, and I was trying to do it without being able to see it, at that, so I was having difficulties.

“Here.” Helbram reached over and tied the bow for me. He gave it a couple of weak tugs to make sure it wouldn’t come loose before looking to me. “Does that work?”

“Y-yeah.” I looked away.

At this point, the sun was almost fully set, and a few stars were just starting to appear on the opposite horizon. I could already feel the temperature dropping.

“I should probably get back to the Fairy King’s Forest,” Helbram murmured. He seemed apologetic.

“What, already? But you just got here…”

“Yeah, but I promised some of the other fairies that I’d bring them to see that peddler that I got the flute and ribbon from tomorrow. I’ll look at what they have, and see if I can find anything else for you, does that sound good? After I’m done there, I’ll head right back here. Hey, maybe they’ll have one of those apple pies you were talking about!”

“Judging by what else they have, I doubt it,” I pouted, looking to the ground.

“Well, if they don’t, then we can go look for one!” He smiled as I looked back at him. “As soon as I get back here, we can go on an adventure in search of an apple pie. That is, if you’re willing to go?”

This just caused me to chuckle, and I smiled back at him. “I don’t think it’ll be much of an adventure. More like visiting the first town we see and coming back. But, yeah, I’ll come. Sounds like fun!”

His smile widened. “If it’s not enough adventure for you, then we’ll go on a journey to find the best apple pie in the human realm!”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He looked in the direction of the fairy forest, towards the spot where the sun had just finished sinking below the horizon. “I’m going to go now. But I’ll be back tomorrow.” Helbram then started to fly towards the edge of the clearing.

“Hey!” I shouted, causing the other fairy to pause. “Don’t forget to keep your promise - both of them!”

“Of course!” He shouted back before disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

And speaking of shadows…

Zephyr peeled himself out of the barely-visible shadow of the tree that Helbram had passed by when he was leaving.

“I was wondering what was taking you so long.”

I didn’t want to interrupt. It’s been awhile since you’ve interacted with anyone other than me. The fox shade turned his pure white eyes in the direction of the fairy forest. He’d better keep those promises to you.

“Hopefully…” I murmured, lightly touching the ribbon that now encircled my neck. “He hasn’t broken a promise yet…”

(Little did I know that that was the last time that I would see Helbram before his untimely death at the hands of the fairy king that he held in such high esteem.)

Chapter Text

Chapter 32: Tangled

“Something’s wrong!”

A couple of days later, I had managed to find Harlequin out and about in town when he was shopping for groceries. Helbram was back at the Boar’s Hat, and Zephyr was nowhere to be seen, so it was only me and Harlequin. Plus the surrounding crowd, of course. Yesterday he had spent the whole day with Diane, so I hadn’t wanted to bother him, but today I would! I just couldn’t put this off.

“Something’s definitely wrong!” I repeated, panting, as I approached the Fairy King.

Harlequin glanced over his shoulder, stopping as he realized that I was following him. His arms were stacked with paper bags overflowing with fruits and vegetables, and he looked like he would topple over any second. Without thinking, I grabbed a couple of bags from him.

“What is it?” His brow furrowed as he took in my panicked state. “I assume that this isn’t about you messing up on baking a cake again?”

“That was only once, and no.” I stopped, putting my hands on my knees to support myself. “Something’s wrong with Helbram.” I hurriedly recounted the story from the night of the festival - leaving out the part about Helbram’s promise to me; that was too embarrassing to tell Harlequin. “His memory was foggy, and as soon as he saw some humans, he was just gone! He didn’t even remember the conversation we were having right beforehand.”

“Hmmm, kind makes me think about how I forgot about almost everything that happened yesterday…” Harlequin put his hand to his chin.

“But you're not the one that was pretty much brought back from the dead the other day with a rarely-used magic, damn it!!” I practically shouted at him. Suddenly realizing what I was doing, my eyes widened and I stepped back. I could feel people staring at me from the crowd. “S-sorry!”

Harlequin looked just as surprised as me. “I-it’s okay…” Sobering, he looked around at the listening people all around us. “We should go somewhere else to talk. Come on.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Harlequin ended up leading me to a tower that I had glimpsed in the city, but I had never been to it. Inside, Merlin - a mature witch and a member of the Seven Deadly Sins - was doing all kinds of experiments. Glasses and vials littered every surface, surrounded by piles of notes. Strange instruments I never could have even dreamed of lined some of the upper shelves of the circular space.

“What can I do for you two today?” She turned to us, gently swirling a vial in one hand.

“M-Merlin?” I was only half-surprised to find another familiar face.

“Hello, Zinnia.” She didn’t seem phased in the slightest that I was here.

Harlequin sweatdropped. “I’m just going to stop questioning how you know people.”

“That’s probably for the best…” I murmured, looking around the room. “Well, Merlin, I kinda ended up bringing someone back to life - I mean, he was already alive, but he had died previously and was being brought back and manipulated by someone-”

“-by Hendrickson.” Harlequin put in helpfully before smirking. “He seemed quite shocked when he couldn’t bring Helbram back again to fight me.”

“-by Hendrickson.” I continued, nodding at Harlequin. “But I made it so that he was really revived, and no longer being manipulated. But now he’s acting kinda off. I don’t know if it’s because of what I did, or something else…”

“Sounds interesting.” She set her vial down on the counter and stepped towards us. “What do you mean by ‘off’?”

For the second time today, I explained the events of the other night. “He had been acting perfectly fine up until he saw the group of humans. In fact, I had introduced him to the Sins and Elizabeth earlier that day, and he seemed completely fine - other than being awkward over the fact that he was the one that stole Meliodas’ sword and how he had attacked everyone before.”

“Hmmm…” Merlin’s eternally sinister smile darkened. “Sounds interesting. And what did you use to heal him?”

“This; my spirit spear.” I grabbed my cloak from my shoulders and transformed it into a spear in front of me, only… 

“Huh? Another one of the blades is missing…” Harlequin looked over my shoulder at the spear. 

Where there had been two crescent blades before, only one remained. The thin rod between the spearhead and the shaft now looked rather flimsy. Looking at the thin, v-shaped slot where the blade had been until a few days ago, a memory surfaced. “Oh… I had been told that that power had been used once before by my mother. That must be what caused the first blade to disappear. And now…”

“Only one remains.” Merlin finished for me, her gaze intently focused on the weapon. “And what happens when they are all used up?”

I didn’t like the sound of that - all used up… “I have no idea.” I shook my head, banishing my worry. “But that’s not what I’m here about. I’m worried about Helbram. Did I do something wrong when I altered his connections?”

“It sounds to me like most of this problem stems from traumas formed before he died,” Merlin explained.

“But what about the foggy memory? And his being fine with humans like Ban and Elizabeth?” I asked her.

“His memory is most likely clouded by you destroying what kept him alive during that time. He no longer has anything holding him to those years. The parts he still remembers are probably connected to the people he met during that time. That’s my theory, anyway. And as for that second part…” She looked at Dyrnwyn again, which was still floating in between us. “How exactly did you restore him?”

“I used my connection with him to strengthen his body’s connection with his soul,” I told her, tucking some hair behind my ear.

“And that made you an integral part of him…” she trailed off, looking into space. “Perhaps that has something to do with it…”

“What?” I questioned, but Merlin only turned back to her notes.

“I suggest that you investigate the connection you tampered with between you two. That might be where the solution lies.” She had picked up the vial again, looking at it closely. “Of course, you could always bring him here so that I can take a look for myself.”

“I know that look on your face Merlin!” I called. Harlequin was trying to drag me out of the tower. I shouted over my shoulder as I was pulled away. “You figured it out didn’t you?! Why don’t you just tell me?”

But I only saw Merlin’s smirk deepen as the door was closed in my face.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“What do you think Merlin meant when she said that the solution was probably in the connection?” I asked Harlequin as we slowly made our way back to the Boar’s Hat. I had decided to help him pick up groceries for the bar, considering that I had interrupted his errand, so now we both had heaps of bags in our arms, and my cloak was back to being draped over my shoulders. 

In the distance, the sun was starting to set and I was beginning to wonder just where Zephyr was. He had been out and about most of the time ever since I woke up, and was rarely in the same place as me. It was starting to worry me. Had I done something to upset him?

“I don’t know…” Harlequin was looking towards the bar. He looked like he was searching for something - or someone. Probably Diane. “Why don’t you just use Dyrnwyn to look at those connections again? That might help.”

“But… I’m worried that that might use up the last blade on it. What happens then? I don’t want to find out, at least not yet…”

Harlequin just gave a nod of understanding and we continued together in relative silence. There were still the sounds of children running and playing in the streets and that of the construction that was taking place all over the city, so it wasn’t really quiet. The sounds became more muffled, though, when we exited the city gates.

Right before we entered the tavern, I spoke up. “Hey, Harlequin-sama?”

“Yeah?” He glanced over at me.

“Random thing, but I noticed that everyone has stopped using honorifics for me. Is there a reason?”

“Not really…” He looked back up at the building ahead of us. “Everyone just decided that you’re a part of the group, so we should refer to you as so.”

I blushed lightly, smiling. “Oh, okay… So should I do the same?”

“If you feel like it.” He didn’t seem to be paying much attention, and was instead looking around us. I suddenly remembered that he had seemed to be looking out for something when we were in town. I just smiled knowingly as I thought about who he was probably looking for.

“Okay, Harlequin.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Where’ve you been all day? It’s been so booorrrrriiinnnggg sitting in here doing nothing.” Helbram was lazily floating around when I returned to my room. Currently, he had his legs crossed and was floating upside down, slowly drifting to the side. Surprisingly, no one else was in the room; they must have taken the watch off of him.

“Ehh, I just had some things to do in town.” I brushed off his question, plopping down on my bed. “It never hurts to have extra hands to carry bags, you know?” I tried to push down my worries. Helbram hadn’t acted weirdly since that first night, so maybe there was nothing to really worry about.

Helbram narrowed his eyes. “Even if you and Harlequin can’t, you shouldn’t forget that fairies can read hearts, Zinnia. Why are you so worried about me?” He crossed his arms as he sat down next to me.

“N-no reason!” I tried harder to put the worries out of my mind and to think positively. “Sorry for leaving you up here all day on your own. It’s just that we don’t yet know what side effects the magic I used on you might have.”

“Even so, why can’t I at least go downstairs? Or outside?”

Because both of those places have humans… I didn’t say the answer aloud. Not being good at being put on the spot, I said the only thing I could think of. “Well, it just seemed like it would be a good idea…” It had to be the most pitiful answer I had ever come up with.

“What’s wrong with both the places having humans? I said I would be better with them.” Well, crap. “Zinnia, what’s going on?” He seemed slightly annoyed. “You’ve been keeping something from me ever since the festival, and Zephyr-kun’s been avoiding me.”

“He’s been avoiding me, too, so I have no idea what’s going on with him.” I looked away, staring across the room at the dust that was shimmering in the beams of late sunshine streaming through the windows. “Helbram, no one’s even told me what it is that caused you to turn against humans. The only thing that I know is that one day we were talking, and you were happily telling me about humans and how they fascinated you, and the next time I saw you, you were going on about slaughtering them all. What happened? Why’d you disappear? Knowing that might help me now.”

The light in his eyes dimmed, and he stared out into space. I was afraid that I had lost him again, like the other night, but after a moment, he began to speak. “It all started with that peddler that I got the flute from…” He went on to tell me how it had been a trap - how humans had wanted to capture as many fairies as possible for their wings, as the humans thought that they could be used for life-extending potions. He told me how the fairies were held for years and years in cells, and how he had had to endure the ripping, snapping, and screaming as, one by one, the humans gently tore the wings off of the live fairies. I could feel tears in my eyes as he told me about how Harlequin had come to save them but had ended up being knocked into a ravine, where Helbram had thought he had died. He spoke about spending his time after that taking revenge on the evil humans that had murdered so many of his friends. And, when he finally found Harlequin, alive and well, in the middle of one of the villages had had been pillaging, the other fairy had killed him. He vaguely remembered being in Necropolis for awhile, but he soon found himself waking up in a human city, Hendrickson standing over him.

“So…” I could hardly speak after that, but I wanted to know. “If Harlequin killed you, how is he still your friend?”

Helbram gave the tiniest smile. “Because he was just fulfilling my request.” I gave him a confused look, but he didn’t go on.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

(The Previous Day)

Sitting on the rooftops, Zephyr watched from the shadows as Diane kissed Harlequin on the cheek in front of the half-destroyed church. He sighed, padding away as he heard the hourly bell tolling.

He wandered through the twilit streets, not worrying about hiding too much, but also avoiding crowds. He could feel a few curious gazes, but none seemed laced with hostility. Soon, he found his way to his newly-found safe haven: Merlin’s lab. 

The two of them had an understanding, and, as long as Zephyr didn’t get in the way of her experiments, Merlin said that he was welcome to stay as long as he liked. He preferred it for the moment over the tavern, as it wasn’t as noisy, and he had more privacy with his thoughts.

His thoughts about how Zinnia had been taking such stupid, reckless actions! Yes, he had told her that she could save Helbram, but he hadn’t expected her to entwine their lives and to offer up her life if it didn’t work out! And then, right after she woke up, to choose to spend the night alone with the fairy, who could still be psychotic? 

He shook his head in annoyance. He often wished that he had been born a fairy. Then perhaps Zinnia would listen to him better. Perhaps she wouldn’t feel the need for friends other than him. Perhaps…

He sighed, pushing open the door to Merlin’s lab with his snout.

“Ah, Zephyranthes.” Merlin was busy poring over some notes. “How about helping me with some things today?”

I don’t feel like being a guinea pig right now. Maybe later. He limped over to the corner he had pretty much claimed as his own, crawling under a desk. The spot was nice and hidden from the view of most of the room, and was covered in shadow. The perfect place to stay comfortable and out of sight.

“Suit yourself,” mumbled the mage as she went on with her business.

Zephyr sighed and closed his eyes, still vaguely sensing the chaotic mess that surrounded Zinnia and Helbram. It felt like they were caught in a giant tangled spiderweb, and being near them made him nauseous.

Chapter Text

Chapter 33: While He's Gone

“Have you guys seen Zephyr anywhere?” I asked as I stepped into the tavern early the next morning. “I can’t seem to find him.”

Diane was the first to respond. “Not since a couple of days ago. Why? Shouldn’t he be with you?”

“Well…” I hesitantly stepped further into the room, tucking some hair behind my ear. “I think he’s been avoiding me. He’s never done something like this before, so it’s starting to worry me.” I glanced around the room, where it was obvious that there had been some hard drinking last night. Ban was still asleep halfway between the floor and a chair, Harlequin was slumped over his pillow in the middle of the room, and Gilthunder and Howzer - who had both become regulars along with Griamore - were leaning against a table from the chairs they had never vacated the previous night. In fact, the only ones awake were Diane - who still looked kind of groggy and must have just woken up - Meliodas and Gowther. I doubted that Gowther ever actually drank - or slept for that matter - anyway, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Why would Zephyr-kun be avoiding you?” Meliodas’ curious voice sounded from where he had been keeping busy on the other side of the room.

“I have no clue! I just…” My gaze fell to the floor in my dejection. “ He started acting weird as soon as Helbram woke up, and left shortly afterward. I don’t know why he would do that, though. He never seemed to have a problem with Helbram before… And I’m trying to deal with a lot of stuff right now, and his disappearance only makes matters worse, you know? I’m used to Zephyr always being around for advice and support, so it’s weird with him not being around.”

“Hmm…” Meliodas tapped his chin in thought. “Perhaps since you guys are together all the time, he just needed some alone time? Whatever reason he’s gone, I’m sure you don’t need to worry; he can take care of himself.”

“M-Maybe…” Sighing, I glanced out the window. “I hope you’re right…”

~ ~ ~

Zephyr sighed in annoyance and boredom as he watched couples chirp on and on about how good the sweets shop was in front of him. He had spent the past couple of days people watching, and was altogether bored with it. All the humans ever seemed to do was gossip and eat. And when he wasn’t being chased by excited children, he constantly seemed to be getting under the feet of the construction workers. No one even batted an eye at him at this point as long as he stayed in the right parts of town.

The fox shade stood up and continued on his way, deciding that there was nothing of interest here. He wished that he could use the shadows, but his leg still hurt from the battle, so he didn’t dare. Normally it would’ve healed by now, but the healing magic that had covered the whole area had only irritated the wound. It turned out that light-based healing didn’t work so well with a shadow-based creature.

He limped around the town, wandering at random, and tried to see if there was anywhere he hadn’t explored yet. Occasionally, he would glance towards the city gate, where he could sometimes glimpse the top of the Boar’s Hat. What was Zinnia doing right now?

He shook his head and let out a huff of frustration.

What does it matter? It’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t need me. Every time that she finds someone else she just clings to them and forgets about me. He clicked his tongue. It’s like I’m just some kind of throw away friend. The one that’s always there so they’re taken for granted. Whenever she does anything - goes anywhere - she assumes it’s a given that I’ll be there with her. But as soon as she’s given a chance to do something special, does she turn to me? No!

He sighed, thinking back to how it had not only been this way with Helbram, but with Zinnia’s old friend, Kay, as well.

Let’s see how she does without me for once. I’ll bet she hasn’t even noticed that I’m gone yet. She always just assumes I’m in her shadow. Well I have my own life, you know!

At this moment he was glad that he was a fox shade and that no one could hear him. That meant that he could shout as loudly as he wanted and wouldn’t get a single odd look. Well, other than the ones from children. But he got those anyway, so he didn’t really care.

He quieted his tone. And ever since she revived Helbram-san, being around either of them… It’s just… He remembered the nasty feeling of wrongness that he had felt as soon as his friend had started using her powers to tamper with the other fairy’s connections. He had ignored it at the time, hoping that it would end once she stopped using her power, but it still lingered. In fact, when Zinnia had introduced Helbram to the Sins, the feeling had gotten much, much stronger, only weakening when Helbram went back upstairs. He had started to wonder how no one else noticed. It was like a combination of walking through cobwebs, hearing nails scraping against a chalkboard, and smelling something rotting all at once. It was hundreds of times worse than the weirdly vague and unsettling feeling that he rarely felt from Hawk. How had no one else felt it?!

But perhaps they had, somewhat. Yesterday, while he had been hiding out at Merlin’s lab, Zinnia and Harlequin had come in to seek Merlin’s advice about Helbram. He had been worried about being spotted, but no one had seen him, and Merlin hadn’t given him away. And while he had been hiding in silence, he had heard about how the fairy had been acting weirdly. Zephyr suspected that this had to do with the feeling he was having. 

And yet, even though Helbram was acting strange, Zinnia seemed to trust him and wanted to spend time with him. And the other day, when Helbram had woken up… That look Zinnia had given him, the way she had responded to his return... 

Zephyr narrowed his eyes, chastising himself. He was most certainly not jealous of the green fairy! He had just been dead, for crying out loud! But still…

He suddenly felt pain crash through his muzzle. He had been so deep in thought that he had run right into someone. And that someone had not moved an inch from the collision.

“Oh! Zephyr-chan! There you are. Zinnia’s been looking for you.”

He looked up to find that the one he had collided with was Diane, who was currently human-sized, but nonetheless quite dense. She didn’t seem bothered by him bumping into her, and was instead smiling at him. Harlequin stood at her side, Chastiefol nowhere in sight.

Ack! Of all the people to run into! He folded his ears back and flicked his tail.

Diane spoke again, tilting her head. “She’s been really worried about you. Where have you been?”

He stepped back, not wanting to deal with this. Had this been any other time, he would’ve just jumped into a shadow and disappeared into the city. As it was now, they would easily catch him if he ran. He tried to think quickly. I-I’ve been busy. I already told Zinnia that I wanted to explore the city. One tends to find different tasks and errands when they’re exploring.

Harlequin narrowed his eyes. “But for three days ? What could you possibly have been doing for three days?” He crossed his arms. “And why haven’t you returned at all during that time?”

While Zephyr held the Fairy King in high regard, he was quite annoyed with him at the moment. Why couldn’t people just mind their own business like Merlin? She hadn’t cared in the slightest about what he was going through when he had shown up asking for a place to stay. She had just told him to not get underfoot. But these people…

Is it wrong to do my own thing for once? He questioned in annoyance. You guys are all free to go off on your own and do whatever you want, but as soon as I do, people start to worry. Why is that?

This gave them both pause, and Harlequin unfolded his arms.

Zephyr continued, lashing his tail. Why? Because I’ve never done it before? Because I’m always in Zinnia’s shadow - literally? I’m my own person, you know! I should have the same freedoms as everyone else - I should be treated the same as everyone else… He drooped slightly, thinking about how he was always just treated as an extension of Zinnia, even by the fairy herself. He knew that he was taking out his anger on them, but he couldn’t help it. These weren’t things he could say to his friend. While he had left because of the strange feeling, that wasn’t his only reason for staying away. Why can’t I just be seen as an equal…? It’s not my fault that most people can’t hear me… I didn’t choose that. I didn’t choose to be born a fox shade, but because I was, I’m only seen as a companion or some sort of pet - not a full person of my own. She doesn’t even listen to my opinion half the time. If only we’d been born the same… Suddenly remembering who he was talking to, he went quiet, looking away in embarrassment. I have my reasons for not returning at the moment. I’ll come back when I feel like it.

While Diane looked sad and sympathetic, Harlequin seemed to have a realization slowly dawn on him. He looked up at the fox, about to say something, but stopped, gaze flicking to Diane, and shutting his mouth.

“You’re your own person, Zephyr-chan,” Diane told him, trying to brighten. “But you didn’t even tell anyone where you were going. We’re all worried about you - even Hawk-chan!”

I doubt that.

“Either way, you should come back. At least for long enough to let everyone know that you’re okay and that you haven’t run away.”

Taking a long, quiet breath, Zephyr dipped his head in resignation. Fine. But I’m going nowhere near Helbram-san. His tail trailed along the ground as he stood up.

“Why not?” Harlequin tilted his head slightly, confused.

Zephyr just shook his head. His snout wrinkled at the thought of returning to that awful feeling that swathed the entire area around Zinnia and Helbram, particularly when they were together. I’d just rather not. Oh, and please don’t tell Zinnia any of what I’ve said.

~ ~ ~

A cool breeze brushed across me as I swung my legs back and forth slowly. I was currently sitting in some of the lower branches of a tree, gazing at Liones from afar. From this distance, not even the movements of people could be seen. 

“What’s wrong, Zinnia?” Helbram floated next to me, giving me a concerned look.

“Can’t get anything past you, can I?” I gave him a sad little smile.

“Nope!” He sat on the branch next to me, mimicking the movements of my legs. It was a very human thing to do, but I had picked it up over the years, and Helbram seemed to find it funny.

“It’s just that, now that you’re back and the Sins have cleared their names and everything, I had thought that things would be better, and that I’d be happy…”

“But…?”

“But I’m not. And it’s not just because of Zephyr. I feel like something’s coming. Like this isn’t quite the ending of everything. It’s just too… peaceful. Too clean of an ending.”

“Is it wrong to be peaceful? Do you want to keep fighting?” Helbram seemed confused.

“No, that’s not it…” I just couldn’t seem to find the words for the unsettling feeling I had. It was like a story book that had been closed was about to open again. But, then again, I had felt a similar feeling multiple times throughout my life and nothing had ever come of it. It was similar to that feeling someone gets when it’s windy out, leaves blowing everywhere, and a storm’s coming. The feeling like something’s about to start - but it almost never does. “It’s probably nothing.”

“Hmmm…” He looked back toward the city. He didn’t look convinced in the slightest.

I looked over to Helbram, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that he was here. It was so nice to have a long-time friend back. We had been spending much of our time together over the past couple of days, and I was actually surprised that he hadn’t been trying to hang out with Harlequin a ton. I mean, sometimes they would hang out, but not nearly as much as I would have expected. Helbram seemed quite content to spend his afternoons with me instead, talking in the attic and exploring the woods a little ways away from the city. He would occasionally mention going into town to observe people or to help with repairs, but I would quickly change the subject. I doubted that that strategy would last much longer, though.

“What, do I have something on my face?” He gave me a weird look.

Was I staring?! I blushed and quickly looked away. “N-No. Just lost in thought.”

“Oh.” He suddenly squinted, looking towards the Boar’s hat. “Is that…?” He held up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. “Harlequin and Diane? Leading Zephyr-kun?”

I quickly slid off the branch, floating a few inches closer. “I think… it is!! Come on!” Without thinking, I snagged Helbram’s hand and flew towards the tavern.

It was only when we arrived that I realized that Helbram’s hand was in my own. I quickly snatched it away, red-faced, to see Zephyr narrowing his eyes as he looked from me to Helbram. Harlequin was also looking between the two of us, but I had no idea what he was thinking.

“Zephyr, you’re back!!” I flew towards the fox and wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace. He was rigid for a moment, but after a second he melted into the hug. “Why were you gone for so long? I was worried sick.” I buried my face in his plush fur. 

He didn’t stop me. After a moment, though, he pulled away and gazed into the distance, refusing to look at me. As you can see, there was no reason to worry about me. I’m fine. He took half a step away.

“What’s wrong?” Everything he did just made me worry more. Where had he been? Why had he left? What had made him stay away?

Nothing. He stood up and swished his tail. I’m going inside. And so he swiftly made his way up the steps and into the tavern, slipping into shadows just long enough to pass through the door without opening it.

“What’s wrong with him?” I looked back to find Helbram not looking nearly as worried as I was, holding his arms behind his head and leaning back slightly.

“I have no idea…”

Harlequin and Diane exchanged a look, but they, too, went inside, leaving me and Helbram in our own baffled company.

Chapter Text

Chapter 34: What the Witch Says

“Well, that was…” Diane trailed off, leaning heavily against the table as she watched Zinnia and Helbram slowly fly back to the forest on the hillside. The ginger fairy looked to be particularly distressed, and Diane wore a look of concern for her.

“Confusing? Stressful?” King supplied helpfully, also watching the fairies through the windows of the tavern.

“Yeah…” She paused, going quiet as she thought. “I wonder why Zephyr-chan is so upset; he always seemed content with his life before.” She glanced towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms, where the fox shade had disappeared moments before.

“What he said was the truth, though,” King pointed out, leaning back in his chair. “He’s left out of most things, and, from what I can tell, Zinnia doesn’t seem to take his worries into account as much as she should. He can’t even speak to most people. Wouldn’t you get frustrated, too?”

“I suppose you’re right…” A look of sympathy crossed her face. “Poor Zephyr-chan.”

King pressed his hand to his mouth in thought before murmuring quietly. “And I also think…”

“Huh?” Diane tilted her head.

He looked back up at her. “Don’t you think that Helbram and Zinnia have been spending a lot of time together these past few days?”

The giantess smiled. “Like you and me?” She nodded and, blushing slightly, twirled her hair in her fingers. “Uh huh.”

King blushed furiously and began to stutter. “Y-y-y-yeah. L-l-like us.” He stopped and swallowed hard. “I think that Zephyranthes-kun is jealous of Helbram.”

“Jealous? Just because she’s spending time with someone else? Hmmm…” She stopped messing with her hair. “But couldn’t he just hang out with them while they’re together?”

King sweatdropped. “That’s not what I’m trying to-”

“Yo, King, Diane~ Whatcha doing back here?” Ban’s voice sounded from the open door as it creaked open and he stepped into the tavern. He sauntered across the room to their table and yawned. “I thought you were having a date in town.”

Diane squeaked and King’s eyes widened as both of their faces blushed matching shades of red. “S-stupid Ban!!”

Ban just grinned before his eyes turned to the window that the two had been watching. But Zinnia and Helbram were already far out of sight.

~ ~ ~

“Has Zephyr-kun always been like that?” Helbram asked me after we returned to the forest. He scratched his head. “Because I don’t remember him being like that at all.”

I shook my head in sorrow. “No. This is a recent thing. I don’t know what’s going on…” Instead of returning to the treetops, I sat down on a spot on the ground cleared of leaves and debris before pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. Does Zephyr hate me now?

I hadn’t really wanted to return to the forest. I’d actually wanted to go with Zephyr back to my room, but it hadn’t seemed like the best idea, so Helbram and I had come back here.

Helbram plopped down next to me, letting out a sigh. “I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.” He looked back toward the open field in which the Boar’s Hat stood. “In fact, it seemed more like what he was feeling was directed at me.”

I mentally slapped myself for forgetting about Helbram’s heart reading. “Really? But I still don’t see why he would feel that way…” I glanced up to find the green fairy looking at me.

He hesitated. “He left too quickly for me to figure that out…” Helbram told me lamely.

“R-really?” I narrowed my eyes.

He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah.”

Sighing, I looked back to the open field, where I could just barely see the Boar’s Hat’s door closing behind Ban. I leaned back, pressing gently against a tree, and closed my eyes. “This is just… I don’t know. I want things to go back to the way they were. Not like a few days ago, but how they were years ago, when you would visit me outside of the Fairy King’s Forest. That was a good time - one of the happiest times of my life. But… It won’t go back to that, will it?”

Helbram folded his legs and leaned forward slightly. “No, it probably won’t.”

Silence filled the air, neither comfortable, nor uncomfortable. It just was. The breeze blew, rustling the leaves, and cooling the warm air. When I started to hear the chirping of crickets and to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin lessen, I opened my eyes again, only to find that Helbram had nodded off beside me.

He was slumped forward in the most uncomfortable looking position, but his eyes were closed, and his breathing was so even that there was no doubt that he was asleep. He was even ever so slightly leaning on me - just enough that I didn’t notice until I opened my eyes.

I smiled, blushing lightly. I’ll wait a bit longer before returning to the tavern.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was fully dark by the time that Helbram and I returned to the Boar’s Hat. Bats were flying to and fro, and moonlight filtered through the thin layer of clouds. I entered the tavern with Helbram on my heels, to find that the room was empty of customers, but some signs of them still remained, such as empty cups and spilled food. We must have arrived just after closing.

“Ughh, why didn’t you wake me up sooner? My neck is killing me.” Helbram was rubbing his neck with a vaguely pained expression.

I just giggled quietly. “You looked so peaceful, how could I wake you?”

He grumbled, but didn’t argue. I thought that I had managed to catch sight of the edges of his lips lifting ever so slightly, but when I looked again to make sure, he had stopped.

Scanning the bar, I saw that most of the Sins were gathered around one of the tables, drinking. Again. Is all they do here drink? I guess if you’re drunk all the time, you can’t get a hangover…

Helbram immediately burst out laughing. “Do they really drink so much here?” He wiped a tear from his eye as he slowly stopped his laughter.

My face reddened. “H-hey! Stop reading my heart! It’s embarrassing.”

“Fine, I’ll try. Though I can’t really help it; you’re way too loud.”

I looked away and tucked some hair behind my ear before continuing towards the table that the Sins were gathered at. Just then, I noticed that Zephyr was in fact sitting near everyone’s feet, on the opposite side of the table from Hawk. The fox shade looked my way before quickly averting his eyes.

Merlin - who I was slightly surprised to see here - stood up upon mine and Helbram’s arrival. “Now that everyone necessary is here, I can say what I have discovered.”

Everyone necessary? I couldn’t help but wonder at the words. The only one not here was Gowther. Did that mean that it didn’t matter if he heard what she was about to say?

“Recently there have been problems brought up to me concerning the new fairy,” she started.

“Is she talking about me?” Helbram questioned, but no one answered.

“It sounded interesting, so I decided to look into it. Upon further examination I found the reason behind Zephyranthes’s problem.” Merlin smirked at the fox, while he perked his ears.

Zephyr’s problem? What problem?

“It appears that when Zinnia used her Spirit Spear to mend Helbram’s ties - or as she likes to call them, connections - she used her own ties as a base.” I started to tell her that I already knew that, but she held up her hand, stopping me before I could get out the first syllable. “This caused Helbram to gain the ties that Zinnia formed with people that Helbram didn’t know, such as almost everyone in this room. Even if he doesn’t know someone, he will still have the same relationship with them as Zinnia has as long as he is using her ties.” The Boar Sin looked back at Zephyr. “As long as this is happening, you will continue to experience the unpleasantness you mentioned.” She faced me now. “And as long as he is using ties that are not his own, there will continue to be complications that come up.”

“Complications?” Helbram had a look of utter confusion painted across his face. “What’s going on? What problems are you guys talking about?”

“No clue.” Ban’s words didn’t help in the slightest. He didn’t even seem interested in the conversation as he leaned back in his chair and picked his ear with his little finger.

Diane and Elizabeth seemed almost as confused as Helbram, and Meliodas was watching Merlin intently. Harlequin looked away from his friend almost guiltily. 

I couldn’t bring myself to meet the green fairy’s eyes. “You’ve been having… problems… Since you were fully revived. Like the other night, during the fireworks, you seemed to disappear mentally. As soon as you saw some humans, it was like you were lost. And when you returned, you didn’t remember the last few minutes. There were other times, too, but that was the most noticeable one.” Before he could ask more questions, I turned my attention back to Merlin. “So, you found the cause, but how do we fix it?”

“To put it simply, you just have to separate,” she said bluntly.

“Separate?”

“The easiest way to do this will be for you to leave for a time, and to allow Helbram to form his own ties, overwriting the ones he’s borrowing from you.”

I stared at her. I had to separate from Helbram, so soon after I had gotten him back? That just didn’t sound fair. Then another thought struck me. “I have to leave the Sins?”

Here's the link to the Discord.

Chapter Text

Chapter 35: Leaving

“I can’t believe we’re leaving…” I couldn’t help but glance back at the Boar’s Hat. It was just a tiny shape on the horizon now, and everyone had already gone inside after having said farewell. The bright sunshine was almost blinding as it shone down from the cloudless sky, so I had to squint to see the tavern.

I tugged listlessly at the fabric of my dress. I had managed to find the courage to ask Harlequin to fix my old clothing before leaving, and he had actually been so kind as to make me new ones. My new dress was almost exactly the same as my old one - white with light green spots around the edges, and reaching to halfway down my shins - only now I had sleeves that were detached from the dress - a common part of fairy dresses. I had actually had these before, but they had fallen apart long before the rest of my dress. Also, Harlequin had decided that boots fit me better than flats, and had made some of those as well.

Zephyr’s voice broke my out of my thoughts about my new clothes.

It’s for the best. Zephyr tried to sound somber as he padded beside me down the road, but I could tell that he seemed quite happy. His mood had brightened drastically as soon as Merlin had said that we would have to leave. The fox was still a little hesitant with speaking with me, but he seemed elated compared to before. So where should we go first? We could go to the ocean - it’s been awhile since we last went, so that would be nice. Or perhaps we could go to another country? It would be interesting to see outside of Brittania. I hear there are plenty of countries to the east over the water; we could check those out. Oh, I hear Camelot’s interesting as well. Their new king showed up during the battle the other day and helped fight Hendrickson. He’d surely welcome us as companions of the Sins.

I just looked at him for a moment. How could he be so cheerful? We had friends here, and we were just leaving them. Perhaps he’s just trying to cheer me up. Yes, that’s probably it. I paused, thinking. “How about we go back to Voryn? It’s been awhile since I’ve paid my respects.”

Kay’s village? Wouldn’t there be nothing left of it by now? It’s been at least two thousand years since we last visited, after all, and even then it was just ruins. Zephyr gave me a look of surprise as he swished his tail through the air.

“I would still like to go. I think I remember planting a small tree there when we were last there. Maybe it’s grown by now.” I looked at the fox shade hopefully.

And maybe it’s grown old and died by now… I frowned as I caught the mumbled growl, but before I could say anything, he perked his ears up and grinned. Okay, let’s go! We’ll just stop by for a moment and be on our way, right?

I nodded. “Of course.”

He flicked his tail and looked up at me. Then Let’s go! Zephyr lifted his nose into the air, sniffing gently, then more fervently, before turning in a circle. I think… He paused, looking into the distance. No, I know it’s that way. It’s 84.3 miles that way, to be exact. I’ll drop us a little ways away from it in a field.

I gazed at the fox in appreciation. It was always amazing to see him work and to see him be able to figure out our exact location in just a couple of heartbeats. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve gotten lost a long time ago and would never be able to find my way around.

He glanced back at me, tilting his head. Ready to go?

I quickly gave him a determined nod. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” Not that I really was ready. I didn’t want to leave. I hadn’t realized how much I had been enjoying my time with Meliodas, Harlequin, and everyone else until I thought that they might make me leave after the battle was over. I had been so relieved when they hadn’t, only to not long after be told that I had to leave for another reason. It was disappointing to say the least.

He returned my nod and, as silent as always, slipped into my shadow. The darkness at my feet instantly turned a shade darker - the only hint that it held the fox shade - before darkening to pitch black. This was the darkest color I had ever seen - even darker than a closed room with no lights in it. Even having done this for thousands of years, I hesitated for a split second before stepping into it, feeling myself fall into shadow.

Hot. Cold. Shock. Darkness. Nothing. Light.

I stepped out into a sunlit field.

That is - right before almost being run over by a horse-drawn cart.

“Whoa! Get outta the way, kid!” A man’s voice came from the cart as the horse pulling it stopped, rearing up with a whiny. “What’re you doin’, just appearin’ outta nowhere in the o’ the road like that?”

I sidestepped out of the way, expecting the man to continue on his way, but he had stopped his cart, and was now looking at me. He looked to be an elderly man - at least in his 70’s or 80’s - with frizzy silvered hair that might have once been blond. Thin spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose, revealing his faltering eyesight, and slightly tattered clothes hinted at money problems.

Surprised to find him looking at me, I stuttered. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t expect any people to be here.”

“Well why wouldn’t anyone be here? We aren’t far from town.” He gave me a surprised look. “Are you lost or somethin’?”

“Umm…” I scratched my head, tucking some hair behind my ear, before wrapping my cloak tighter around me. “You could say that.” 

Where was I? There shouldn’t have been any town near here. Voryn had been wiped out by the bandits, and the refugees had long since fled. There shouldn’t even have been ruins at this point. Had someone rebuilt the town? But why? Also, where was Zephyr? I had expected to find him in the field with me, but he was nowhere to be seen. As soon as I wondered that, though, it crossed my mind that he was probably still in my shadow - he wouldn’t want to appear in front of this man that we didn’t know.

The man paused, giving me a long look, before smiling. “Well, how about you come with me? I can give you a ride to town if you want.” He patted the empty space on the wooden bench next to him. “There’s plenty o’ space fer a little ‘un like you.”

I only hesitated a moment before realizing that I had no other leads to go off of on where to go anyway. It would also probably be considered rude to refuse his kind offer. So I climbed up on the seat beside him. “Thank you very much.”

Once I had gotten settled, the man cracked the reins, resuming the movement of the horse. After a few moments of silence along the bumpy dirt road, he finally spoke up. “The name’s Harlow, by the way.” He glanced my way, prompting my response.

“Zinnia.” I could only say my name. I was still confused by what was going on, and wasn’t sure what else to say. Was this town we were going to built on top of the ruins of Voryn? It was possible; I hadn’t been there in a long time. But it sure would be a strange coincidence for it to have been built right in the same spot as a destroyed village. I would’ve appreciated if Zephyr would appear right now so that I could hold him and his soft fur for comfort, but he was still in hiding, and I wasn’t sure when he’d come out.

“Well, Zinnia-chan,” the old man - Harlow - was saying. “You remind me a good bit o’ my granddaughter; you two are probably around the same age.

“So, What was a young lass like yerself doin’ way out here all alone? Know from experience that there’s nothin’ fer miles in any direction - other than the town, that is.”

I scratched the back of my head and gave him an embarrassed smile. “I guess you could say that I got separated from my friends and ended up here.”

“Mustn’t have been that good o’ friend, fer you to get this far separated from ‘em.” He tutted. “Well, you must be starvin’. We’ll get a nice warm meal in you when we get home.”

I paused in confusion. “I thought you were just taking me to the village?”

He smiled, revealing teeth yellowed with age. “That and then some. I can’t just leave a little thing like you to fend fer yerself in the big ol’ town, can I? You might get lost again, or worse. I’m sure I can manage to scrounge up enough to feed an extra mouth.”

Again, I didn’t know how to politely refuse this, and I could see very little reason to in the first place. I returned a reserved smile. “Thank you, Harlow-san. I’m sorry I don’t have any way to repay you.”

He waved me off. “Don’t worry about it. As I said before, I’d never be able to leave a little girl to wander on her own.” Harlow then turned back to the road, watching for holes in the rough path.

As though to prove him wrong, this was the moment that I felt a chill shiver through my shadow, signalling Zephyr’s return to it. Making friends? He whispered. It looks like we’re almost there. You should see the town just over this rise. I must say, it’s quite the sight.

I almost responded, but caught myself, giving Harlow a sidelong glance. He’d think me insane if I started talking to the fox shade now, when no one could see him. Instead, I just placed my hand on my shadow - which stretched across the bench beside me - and took comfort in Zephyr’s presence, before looking at the road ahead.

He had been right, of course. A little way ahead, the land rose up above us, obscuring my sight of the oncoming landscape. As the cart rolled to the top of the hill, I took in the sight that Zephyr spoke of.

Not far in the distance, a great tree rose from the ground, larger than any around it. It had to be almost half as tall as the sacred tree. Its branches swept far and wide, capturing sunlight from all around. The branches stretched so far, in fact, that the town sprawling beneath it was almost completely covered in the shade of their leaves. I’d never seen a tree so large outside of the Fairy King’s Forest.

As I gaped at the sight in awe, I could almost feel Zephyr’s smirk. You said you planted a tree when you left, right?

Chapter Text

Chapter 36: The Town Under the Tree

It took about another hour for the shade of the great tree’s leaves to flicker over the trundling cart. It was surprisingly bright under the canopy, but the shadows caused a thin chill to seep into my bones. I shivered and tightened my cloak further.

Harlow only laughed and clapped my back, making me jump as the shock spread through my covered wings. “Hahahaa! You’ll get used to that, you will! That is, if yer gonna stay here fer very long. It’s the infamous Akshur chill. No matter what we’ve done, we just can’t seem to get rid o’ it. Well, guess it’s not much trouble in the winter months, but then we have to deal with all o’ the fallen leaves and the cold that comes from the season itself.”

That didn’t sound pleasant; was it even cold here during the middle of summer? One word caught my attention, though, and I tilted my head slightly. “Akshur?”

“Oh! I brought you all the way here, and forgot to even tell you the name o’ the town. Akshur’s where we’re headed, little lady. It’s settled snugly at the base o’ the largest oak fer miles around. Some say it’s the largest tree in the  world, though the kids’ll say differently. They’re determined that the fairy folk have a bigger ‘un.” The old man held his hand gently to his chin in thought before continuing. “Though accordin’ to legend, it was the fairies that planted this ‘un, so I don’t see why they’d have need fer it if they had a bigger ‘un…” 

He trailed off into a silence that I couldn’t bring myself to break. It wasn’t just any of the fairies that planted the tree - it was me. I didn’t think that I should tell him that. It would be… weird. Even though the Sins had made me feel accepted as a fairy, I still wasn’t comfortable just letting everyone know. At least I was comfortable in my fairy form now, even if I was still hiding my wings.

It was only when the first buildings of Akshur started to loom up around us that the silence was broken - not by us, but by the townsfolk. Chatter filled the air in the light-dappled town, drowning out the clopping of the horse’s hooves and the rattle of the cart’s wheels. The buildings here weren’t in even rows like most of the other towns I had visited over the years, but instead seemed to be on either side of a roughly defined path. Some were further back, some were twisted away from the street, and some spaces had no buildings at all.

“Why are the buildings placed so weirdly?” I asked the man beside me.

“When buildin’ at the base o’ a tree, you gotta work around the roots.” He nodded toward an open space between a couple of buildings, where I now noticed huge, half-buried roots being climbed on by children wrapped in thicker cloaks than even mine. “It’ll be even more noticeable the further we go. See how the buildin’s farther in are raised up?” I focused my attention closer to the base of the tree, where the houses were indeed at a higher elevation than where we were now. “The buildin’s get even crazier up there. That’s where we’re headed.”

We lapsed back into silence as I took in the sight ahead of me. This time, though, it wasn’t nearly so awkward. I spent my time observing the people as we passed by. We appeared to be passing through a marketplace filled with stalls of such bright colors that they almost appeared to be fruit that had fallen from the gargantuan tree above. The surrounding buildings added to that fantasy, as they were such odd colors and shapes that it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine them having been dropped from the sky before settling in their current positions. The people here also seemed slightly odd, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I felt that way. Many of them wore cloaks - or at least many layers of clothing - and most of them had a similar pasty complexion and wiry build.

As we got further into the town (with the size of this place, it could rightfully be called a small city, but Harlow had called it a town, so that’s what I would continue to think of it as), I noticed more and more on the townsfolk watching me - particularly children. People shot looks in my direction, and the children that I spotted on the rooftops openly stared. It was getting increasingly uncomfortable, and I tightened my cloak further around me.

“U-ummm… Harlow-san? Why are so many people looking at me?”

“Hm? Are they?” He didn’t even look around before continuing. “Probably your hair; no ‘un around here has hair quite that bright. Makes you stick out like a sore thumb.”

I don’t like it… I could hear Zephyr grumbling in my shadow. Even though he could move pretty freely in this shadow-filled place, he appeared to be sticking to my side. I don’t think this is just about your hair…

As I opened my mouth to comment, one of the cart’s wheels hit a root, causing the cart to jolt and me to bite my tongue. Pain seared my mouth, spreading quickly through my face. “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…”

“You won’t be wantin’ to do that; it can be painful. I’m recommendin’ you keep your mouth shut ‘til we reach home - unless you wanna bite your tongue again, that is.”

I took his advice. It wasn’t a hard decision, seeing as how we were now hitting constant bumps from the tangled roots littering the ground. The market disappeared, and the buildings’ shapes became even more eccentric, curving around giant roots or attempting to use small platforms to keep them off the ground cover, only to have the platforms themselves be swallowed by it.

Something else seemed to be happening, though. The closer we got to the tree that housed the village, the more I felt like I was being beckoned forward. What was going on? What was drawing me toward the center of this place, and why? I was staring so intently into the branches far above my head - so dense that I couldn’t even make out the color of the leaves due to a lack of sunlight - that I didn’t even notice that the horse in front of me had come to a stop.

“We’re here.” Harlow’s voice broke me from my half-trance.

I turned my attention to the house we had stopped beside. My immediate thought was that it looked like an apple. It was a bright red, with thin strips of paint peeling at the edges, and was one of the ones I’d noted earlier in that it was built to accommodate the curving of a root half the size of the house itself. The second story had two round windows, further making me feel like it was where a worm had eaten through the fruit. The first floor, on the other hand, had walls covered in windows of varying shapes and sizes, as though the house had originally been built in a much brighter place, but the inhabitants had been continually trying to let more light in the house. With a quick glance around, I noted that this appeared to be a common feature this close to the base of the tree.

I had started climbing off the side of the cart when I heard the loud pattering of footsteps inside Harlow’s house, followed by the bang of the door opening and an excited shout. “Grandpa! You’re home!” As I hopped the final distance to the ground, I turned in time to see a young blonde boy jumping at Harlow and hugging him, getting a tight hug from the man in return. “You were gone forever ! I’d been worried you might never come back!”

“O’ course I was comin’ back, my boy! Who’d take care o’ you and your sister if I didn’t?” Harlow tried to ruffle the boy’s hair through his hat, but only succeed in turning the hat, which the child corrected after a moment of laughter.

The little boy only then noticed me, and his eyes widened as they landed on me. “Woah, Grandpa! Did you bring home a fairy?!”

I nearly fell over from shock. I’d thought I’d been hiding what I was well enough.

Instead of being surprised, Harlow only laughed. “Zinnia-chan here isn’t a fairy - she’s just a little girl! If she was a fairy, do you think I’d have found her lost in the open plains?”

“Hmmm…” The kid stared at me harder, and I couldn’t help but look away. “No, I guess not… But only fairies have such bright hair!”

“There you go, Zinnia. I was right. Maybe the people you saw just thought you were a fairy.” Harlow said the words like they were supposed to bring me relief before explaining to his grandson. “You’ve never been outside Akshur, Elrick. Out there, people have all kinds o’ different hair. And not only that, but they’re different shapes and sizes, have different skin and eye colors, some may not even look like people as you know them. But remember what your parents always said…” He urged the boy - Elrick - to finish.

“Just because people are different, doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated differently,” he recited from memory.

“That’s my boy.” Harlow patted his head. “Now hurry on inside. I’ll be right after you.” And so Elrick obeyed and went back into the slightly run-down house to await his grandfather.

Instead of following, I waited out in the chill, attempting to help Harlow unload boxes and bags from the cart before being turned down. While waiting for the man to put away the cart and its horse in a location unknown to me, I caught a glimpse of Elrick and another child watching me from the windows of the house. While the boy was smiling excitedly, the other - an older girl by the looks of it - seemed more reserved, almost annoyed if I had to label her expression.

Turning my face back to the branches above, I took a moment to absorb the almost unnatural, cave-like feeling that being here induced. It was only when I felt more than just the two children’s eyes on me that I decided that I should wait a bit closer to the front door - maybe even just inside.

Please don’t be more trouble that I’ve gotten myself into...

Chapter Text

Chapter 37: The Dark of Night

“Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“There’s a new one in the town.”

“Really?”

“How can there be? Where did it come from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it one of us or…”

“I don’t know.”

“Should someone check it out?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wait…”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Did you hear that?”

“No. What?”

“Something is with it.”

“There are two?”

“I only saw one, though…”

“There was certainly a second voice.”

“Who did the voice come from, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you hear what was being spoken about with the man?”

“No.”

“I heard some.”

“What did you hear?”

“I only caught one word.”

“What was it?”

“Fairy.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It turned out that a house shrouded in eternal shade could be a lot more cheerful than I had imagined. The inside was more colorful that the market we had passed through - if that was possible. The place wasn’t clean, that was for sure, but it had a contented feeling of being lived in.

The first room I entered might have once been a reception room for guests, but it had been turned into a mash between a dining room and a living room, with tables and chairs on either side. Shelves stacked high with papers and knickknacks lined the splotchy walls, and thin carpets covered most of the faded hardwood floors. Most of the chairs had piles of blankets accumulated on them, leaving only a few spots here and there free. One of said spots was already in use by the girl I had seen through the window. She stood up, making me immediately notice that she was quite a bit taller than Elrick, who was standing next to the chair - in fact, she was almost the same height as me. She had the same light blond hair as the boy, along with matching pale golden eyes. They could have been twins, were they not so obviously different ages.

As she approached me, I came to realize that the annoyed look I had thought I’d seen from the window had been correct, and her glare was practically burning my skin. She stomped up to me, only stopping when we were nose-to-nose. Not wanting to go back outside, yet not wanting to push away a girl in the house of my benefactor, I watched her in nervous confusion.

“Who are you, and why are you here?” she questioned me. The words were so simple, yet coming from this child, they felt like an interrogation.

“Uh-ummm… I’m-”

“No one new comes to Akshur. No one. I don’t care if Grandpa brought you here. You being here is weird and I don’t like it.” She crossed her arms and leaned back a little, eyeing the door behind me, where Harlow was sure to appear soon. “You’d better leave, before someone makes you.” Just as I felt more than heard the door open, she spun on her heel and marched across the room towards the stairs, disappearing up them.

Harlow’s visage appeared in the edge of my vision, and I shifted so that I could better see him. He was looking after the girl, shaking his head with a slightly sad expression. “I’d hoped Ella’d have taken a likin’ to you, but it appears I was off. Poor girl; she’s been like that since her parents passed. She was once so bright and cheerful…” He trailed off, and eventually forced himself to smile again, though I could see that it didn’t reach his eyes. The man turned his attention to Elrick, who had been watching in uncertainty from beside the chair Ella had been sitting in this whole time. Harlow walked across the room and set his hand on the boy’s shoulder, before announcing to the room, “Now who’s ready for supper?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Turning over uncomfortably, I sighed.

What is it, Zinnia? Zephyr’s quiet voice sounded, seemingly echoing in the empty room.

“I just… I don’t know. I can’t get comfortable.” I sat up. “I’ve felt weird ever since we got to Akshur.” I looked around the dark room I was currently borrowing. The family hadn’t had a guest room, saying that any rooms that might’ve worked for it were either too messy to deal with tonight, or were in disrepair. Instead, Ella had bunked with Elrick, and I was given her room. I had actually been quite surprised at her generosity, but by the look on her face, she seemed to still want me out of here as soon as possible.

“You’d better not mess with any of my stuff,” she had said before slamming her brother’s door.

So now I laid in the dark, looking around at the shadows of her mostly-tidy room. Zephyr was curled loosely at the foot of the bed, looking at me with concern. What do you mean, ‘you’ve felt weird?’ Are you sick? I don’t think I remember you ever getting sick before.

I shook my head, knowing full well that the motion wouldn’t be visible to anyone other than a fox shade. “No. Thankfully, I’ve inherited the fairy trait of never getting sick. What I mean is-” I froze. I had heard a noise coming from the window. What was it? Voices? “Zephyr,” I lowered my voice so that the whisper was even quieter than before. “Do you hear that?”

I could scarcely make out the image of him getting to his paws and leaning toward the window. Yes… It sounds like… laughter? I’ll go see what it is.
Before I could object, he had faded into the darkness. The voices outside moved away, disappearing into the distance. Zephyr did not come back when they were gone. I strained my ears, trying to catch the tiniest sound of them, but they were out of range.

“Z-Zephyr?” I whispered into the room. “They’re gone… You can come back now.” Silence followed my words. No noise. No voice. No shiver of him returning to my shadow.

Why wasn’t he coming back? I tried to push the worry away - this was a perfectly safe town, after all - but Zephyr’s missing presence only magnified my uneasiness. It was like there was a gaping hole where there shouldn’t be.
A tapping noise sounded from the window. I held my breath. Were they back - the ones that the voices belonged to? But there weren’t any voices, just an uneven tapping. And… this was on the second floor of the building. There weren’t any branches hanging outside the window, nor was there a ledge for anyone to stand on. What was out there?

Gathering my courage, I slid off the bed and crept towards the window, hoping that whatever was out there couldn’t see me in the darkness. I eventually reached the end of the room, holding my head just below the windowsill. Forcing myself to make the final move, I lifted myself so that I could see through the glass, and saw…

Nothing.

The tapping had stopped.

And there was nothing out there. Even though I could barely see the space outside in the dim light, it was clear that it was void of life.

I let out a breath that I hadn’t been aware I was still holding and collapsed back onto the bed behind me. After taking a moment to get the air back in my lungs, I pulled myself back up and looked out the window again, this time looking all around. Still, no one occupied the area outside. As I scanned what little I could see, my eyes landed on the giant tree that covered the entire town. The weird feeling from earlier returned with a vengeance. My focus was being drawn unerringly to that place. It was like I needed to go there.

Someone’s calling me, the thought popped into my head without me willing it to, causing me to shake my head with a frown and curl my hands into fists. No. No one’s calling me; it’s just my imagination. Seeing a tree so big just reminds me of the Fairy King’s Forest. Of course I’d be drawn to it. Still, I couldn’t pull my attention away from the barely-visible trunk. Although… It couldn’t hurt to check it out, could it? And now would be one of the best times, seeing as how everyone’s asleep. I’ll just go and take a look, then return before Zephyr gets back. Then maybe the weird feeling will go away and I’ll be able to sleep.

And so, I snagged my cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders - one could never be too cautious, especially in an unknown place - before cracking open the window. The rusty hinge on the side creaked in protest, causing me to cringe at the noise, but it opened relatively easily. Poking my head out the window, I looked around one more time just to make sure, and then floated through the opening.

It was colder outside, and I couldn’t see a single star through the canopy. It was like being under a giant roof. Only a thin veil of moonlight pierced the leaves, making it possible to see the vaguest of shapes around me. I hoped that I’d be able to find my way back.

Steeling my nerves, I flew towards the great tree ahead. No voices called out from the houses, so I was pretty confident that no one saw me. It wasn’t long before I reached the trunk, and I gently rested my hand against it. The bark was cool and rough to the touch.

“See?” I whispered to no one but myself. “Completely normal tree. Nothing weird going on.” Of course, immediately after saying that, I felt a presence watching me. I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone. They could have been hiding in the shadows, but I had a feeling they weren’t. Was this the same person who had been tapping on the window earlier? Had they followed me?

The presence nagged at me, causing me to look around yet again. This time, though, I caught a flash of movement - from the branches above me. How did someone get up there? That’s far too far for a human to climb. And why are they up there in the middle of the night?

Pushing down the worries and speculations that I held, I slowly flew higher and higher, until branches surrounded me. Glimpses of movement kept drawing me further upward through the mass of leaves, until I broke out into the open. Light blinded me, but when my eyes adjusted, I found that it was just the light of the stars and the waxing moon.

Light reflected off the leaves around me, making it appear as though I was surrounded by a sea of shimmering purple. It wasn’t the sight that shocked me, rather it was the figure ahead of me. A fairy with wavy, shoulder-length, dark blue hair that shone in the moonlight smiled at me, his larger wings flickering behind him. I couldn’t really make out the colors of his clothing in the darkness, but I could tell that his darker pants were mostly fitted, but slit down the sides about halfway down and buttoned at the ankles, and his short-sleeved shirt had a frilled collar and seemed to have a slightly wrapped design around the chest and stomach that caused it to be shorter in the front than the back, which in turn caused the shirt to reveal part of his stomach and side. The short boots he wore seemed pretty plain in comparison to the designs of the rest of his clothing.

He tilted his head, purple eyes glowing in the moonlight, and held a finger to his cheek in curiosity. “I’d heard that there was a fairy in the town, and I’d assumed you’d come to see me. You seem a little too surprised for that to be true, though…” His large eyes held an innocence that I hadn’t seen in awhile, and felt odd to see in a fairy.

He’d assumed that I’d come to see him? Who is this fairy, and how did he know about me being here? I didn’t tell anyone what I was… My mouth gaped slightly as I thought, and I forced myself to close it, then tucked some hair behind my ear. “I-I’m sorry. I hadn’t even realized that any fairies lived here. I was just coming to visit the grave of an old friend, but it appears that… that a tree has grown over the grave.” That was putting it mildly. “I have to ask, though: why did you think I came to see you?”

The fairy’s smile brightened as he straightened. “Because I’m Delphinium - the King of this Fairy Forest.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 38: Top of the Tree

“How was that?” Delphinium turned excitedly to where I could now see a few fairies hiding in the branches around us. “I’ve always wanted to introduce myself that way! Wasn’t I cool?”

“I think you broke her, Delphinium-sama…” A smaller fairy with dark blond hair had flown up to me, and was now trying to grab my attention.

But, I couldn’t stop staring. What? Another Fairy King? I thought there could only be one, and that it was Harlequin… How could-

“Oh, you’re right.” Delphinium laughed. “I’m not really a Fairy King; I’m more of a representative - a guardian, if you will. I just never get to introduce myself to new people, so I wanted to seem cool.” He slumped slightly, dejected. “Guess it backfired, didn’t it?” However, he quickly recovered, and his smile returned to his face. “So, what’s another fairy doing here? I’m guessing you’re from the other forest, but we’ve closed off the perimeter ever since that one burned down, so we don’t really know what’s happening out there. You’re wondering why you never heard about there being another Fairy Forest? Ah, that’s because we’ve kept ourselves separated from the beginning, only watching from a distance.

“Hey, why do you keep your wings covered? Why did you hide that you’re a fairy from the people down there?” At this point the blue-haired fairy was inches from my face, curiosity glimmering in his eyes. I could barely keep up with his words, let alone that he seemed to be trying to answer my questions by reading my heart.

“I-I’ve had bad experiences from people knowing what I am, so I tend to hide it…” I trailed off, my mind wandering to the different occasions of discovery over the centuries. It wasn’t so bad when they found out that I was a fairy - not always. What was worse was when they discovered that I was-

“Oh! You’re not a full fairy?”

I almost fainted then and there.

But Delphinium didn’t seem very upset; it was more like his curiosity only grew stronger. “Well that’s not so bad, is it? But the question is, what’s your other half? We’ve seen plenty of half-humans around here, and since you mentioned being here before our branch of the Spirit Tree grew, then you’ve lived far longer than a half-human. Giant perhaps? Though I don’t know how that would work… Oh! What about-”

“Um, you said you’d seen plenty of half-humans here? That’s normal here?” I cut him off before he could delve further. This fairy seemed kind, but I was not comfortable in the slightest with him knowing my secrets. Perhaps sending a bunch of my own questions his way would keep him at bay. “How can there be more than one Fairy King’s Forest, and how and why are you - as you called it - a guardian? And how can this even be a ‘forest’? There’s only one ginormous tree in an open field. When did it even get here? And why… Why are you keeping yourselves secret from other fairies?”

He looked taken aback for a heartbeat, surprise flickering across his face, when he suddenly started laughing like crazy, bending over his knees to catch his breath. “Looks like you have as many questions as I do. If I answer all of yours, will you answer one for me?”

I nodded silently. Would this fairy really be satisfied with only one answer in exchange for many? I knew I wouldn’t be, in his situation. However, I didn’t really know Delphinium, so who was I to say what would satisfy him? Looking at the blue-haired fairy’s honest eyes, I felt that he was most probably telling the truth.

“Well then, to start off with, yes, human-fairy hybrids are common here. You met some, in fact! All three of the humans you were staying with - while not half-fairy - have fairy ancestry. We’ve noticed that it tends to lead to humans with longer life spans and pointed ears, and more often than not they are taller than pure humans, and their hair and eye colors seem to match their fairy ancestry, no matter the coloration of the humans in the gene pool.

“I can already tell that you’re wondering more of why it’s common, though. Is it not common with other fairies?” He furrowed his brow in minor confusion.  “Humans had settled at the base of the tree around the same time that I was born, and we’ve always seemed to get along with them, so I don’t see why it seems unthinkable.

“And as for there being another Fairy King’s Forest - I guess that you could say that this is just a branch of the original forest - an offshoot. As far as I can tell, a seed was planted while there was already a thriving Sacred Tree, so a secondary forest formed, separate from the parent and its Fairy King. And that leads into the next question about my being a guardian. Since there could only be one Fairy King at a time, and this forest needed something to defend itself, I was born. I was born from this Sacred Tree offshoot, in a manner similar to a Fairy King or a Fairy King’s sibling, only, I wasn’t given the powers that a Fairy King would have. What’s it called again? Disaster? I don’t have that power.” He smiled sadly, looking out at the sea of leaves around us, which now seemed to be glowing pink-purple in the brilliant - yet fading - moonlight. “That’s actually why there isn’t an actual forest. Since I didn’t have Disaster to help keep the plant life in check, this Sacred tree grew too dense of branches for anything to grow underneath it. The humans use any trees they find nearby just to keep themselves warm and dry in its shade. If I had that power, I could thin the branches and make this entire area into a thriving forest worthy of the name…” Delphinium paused, looking out into the distance at the rolling plains with weary eyes that made him seem like a completely different fairy from the excited, innocent one that was pestering me with questions earlier.

I was about to say something, but he took a deep breath and continued. “In exchange, though, I got other powers. My specialty is illusions. That’s how we’ve kept others away for so long, and why we were so surprised when you arrived. I usually guide people away from the area without their ever realizing, but when you just appeared in a field like that!” He laughed, his previous self showing through, before shaking his head. “And as for when the tree got here? Hmmm… I don’t really keep track of years like the humans do, but if I had to say… I was born maybe eighteen hundred years ago, I think, and the tree itself started growing about two hundred years before that. 

“You final question was why we keep ourselves secret from the other fairies, right?” I nodded at his confirmation. “Well, when I was born, I remember one thing in particular. The Sacred Tree shared a memory with me from when it was but a seed. It was two phrases repeated over and over again, up until it was able to take root, after which it never heard them again. The phrases were ‘We can never return to the Fairy King’s Forest. Not until it’s safe.’ and ‘We can’t let any other fairies know you’re alive.’ With those being my first memories, they kind of just stuck.”

I flinched at the familiar phrases. They were things that Zephyranthes and I would say so much back then. Even though we’d both known those things, we’d had to keep saying them in order to stop ourselves (mainly me) from doing stupid things. But for this Sacred Tree to know those phrases, then that tree I planted must have been…

“So, that answers all of your questions, now it’s time for you to answer mine.” All the fairies half-hidden in the surrounding branches watched us expectantly. Meanwhile, I could feel sweat trickling down my neck out of fear. What would he ask? I’d agreed to answer a question, and even if he asked something personal, he’d know if I was lying. 

Delphinium took a breath before tilting his head with a smile and asking his question. “Who are you?”

“Eh?” Was that really all he was asking? Like, was he asking what I was other than a fairy? Or perhaps why I was here, out of all fairies? What was he really trying to ask?

“What’s your name?” He clarified. I could practically feel so many fairies around us droop with disappointment. 

“Umm… My name’s Zinnia.” I scratched my cheek out of the embarrassment that I had suspected him of trying to get secrets out of me.

“Ah, so Zinnia-chan!” Delphinium smiled. “Or should it perhaps be Zinnia-san, since you aren’t a fairy of my forest? Or maybe Onee-san? Oh! You could also be Zinnia-sama or Zinnia-dono, since you’re the one that planted our Sacred Tree!” Gasps erupted from the branches around us. Apparently they weren’t as good at heart-reading as Delphinium was.

“N-no… Just Zinnia is fine.” I was sure that my face was bright red. Someone that was this forest’s equivalent to a Fairy King addressing me so highly? I’d rather not. “Even if I was the one that planted it, it’s obvious that you’ve done much more for it than I have, Delphinium-sama.”

He waved away the name. “No formalities; just call me Delphi. Delphinium is too much of a mouthful and sounds too formal for my liking.” He gestured to a lineup of the five nearest fairies, who gave off the aura of being older than the rest. “These are my advisers: Ana, Radcli, Ayisa, Youth, and Elque.”

Elque, who had blue hair only a few shades lighter than Delphi’s snorted. “Advisers? Since when have we been-?” He yelped, flinching away from the fairy next to him.

Youth - a smaller, blond fairy girl - had elbowed Elque in the side. “What Elque is saying is that we’re more like Delphi’s oldest friends.” She smiled, her golden eyes catching the sunlight that was just peeking over the horizon.

Sunlight? As soon as the wandering thought crossed my mind, beams of glowing gold light spilled across the area, illuminating the field of bright pink leaves around me. Specks of colors adorned the leaves, revealing the locations of watching fairies. A sweet scent surrounded me as a light breeze picked up, causing ancient memories of a familiar scent to flair in my mind. Memories of an ancient forest with a pink-leaved canopy far above, fairies flying to and fro as they went about their days. Giant, twisting, gnarled roots would have spilled across the forest floor, trailing from countless trees stretching farther into the distance than even the most skilled eye could see. Rustles in the undergrowth would have hinted to the wildlife that made the forest its home. As I would fly from tree to tree, I would turn to see a familiar face smiling after me. I would call out the name-

“Woah!” Delphi’s eyes were wide, pulling me out of the dream-like memory. His hair was an even brighter blue in the dawn glow, making it look brighter than even a royal’s silk gown. “That’s a very powerful memory you’re feeling. Does this little glimpse of our Sacred Tree stir your heart that much?”

I shut down the memory, locking it away to where hopefully even the most observant fairy wouldn’t be able to find it, before tucking my hair behind my ear and trying to focus on the world around me. “It’s just that… I haven’t seen a sight like this in a long, long time.” After being silent for a moment, a realization dawned on me. Wait… Wasn’t I supposed to get back before Zephyr returned?! “I-I need to head back now. My friend is probably worried about me.”

“The black fox?” Delphi looked around. “He should be arriving any moment now…”

“What do you-”

Just then, a couple of small fairies burst through the tree cover, causing bystanders to leap away from them. A dark shadow bolted after them, but as the two flew higher into the sky, it was unable to follow. Instead, the shadow formed into the shape of a dark fox balancing precariously on the branches, half-obscured by pink foliage.

“Zephyr!” My surprised voice seemed to call out to him on its own.

His eyes widened when he spotted me, and he shook his ruffled fur. Zinnia! What are you doing here? I tried to follow the voices that we’d heard, but they… That was when his eyes started to roam over the area, even stronger surprise and incomprehension registering across his features. Why are there so many fairies? And… Is this a Sacred Tree? What-

One of the fairies that hadn’t spoken before - Radcli, a pink-haired fellow with sharp red eyes that seemed to dare anyone to say anything about his hair color - sighed. “Here we go again…”

Chapter Text

Chapter 39: Ominous Feeling

It didn’t take long for a week, then two weeks, then a month to pass by at the Sacred Tree of Akshur. Zephyr had been bothered by the fact that we’d extended our stay, and was impatient to move on, but he had yet to push me to leave the place. Not only that; he seemed to have taken a liking to some of the fairies here - Radcli in particular. I was glad he was making friends, as it wasn’t often that the fox got to meet new people.

I spent a good bit of my time exploring the town below the yawning branches of the tree. The people were interesting, and they didn’t seem to mind that I was constantly wearing my cloak. Upon telling Harlow about finding another place to stay, he’d taken his hat off (Delphi had been right! He did have pointed ears! He’d just been hiding the tips with his hat.) and begged for my forgiveness for anything he’d done to make me not feel welcome. It had taken a while to convince him that it wasn’t his fault I was leaving. Eventually, I’d managed to get him to believe that I’d found relatives that lived in town (not entirely untrue), and that I’d be staying with them.

During my stay, Delphi decided to tell me about things that had happened in Akshur, and why some things were the way they were. As it turned out, they hadn’t always been closed off to the outside world. While the fairies here hadn’t wanted to interact with the fairies of the main Fairy King’s Forest, they had still wanted to know what they were like and what they were going through. In order to do this, they had sent some of their partially-human descendants (which I came to know had been dubbed “elves”) to keep an eye on the main forest. Being part fairy, they were allowed to move freely through the forest, unlike most humans, and they had managed to stay out of sight of the native inhabitants. Only… when the forest was burned down about twenty years ago, the elves residing in that forest all died. Not knowing what exactly happened, or whether or not they had been targeted, Delphi decided to close their borders and keep out any visitors. The only exception was when Akshur’s merchants went in and out of town to either buy or sell their wares.

Not all of the residents of the town beneath the tree knew about all of this - in fact, many never even interacted with a fairy in their lifetime. All they knew was that they were unable to go far from town. But with the safety that their town had always endured, not many questioned it.

The days in Akshur were mild; most days were sunny with a slight breeze and temperatures just a little colder than Liones. It was a day just like that that the daily rhythm that I had gotten into suddenly changed.

I was sitting in the upper branches of the Sacred Tree, looking out over the open field - Delphi at my side - watching the thin wisps of cloud race across the sapphire sky like boats drifting through open ocean. This had become a regular thing for us, as there wasn’t much to do here, now that I’d explored everywhere. Out of the edge of my vision, I noticed the blue fairy was giving me a curious look similar to the ones he’d given me when I’d first arrived.

“What is it?” I didn’t even look at him, my eyes instead locked on a cloud that was about to outpace a much larger one.

His wings twitched. “I keep forgetting to mention how, even though you’ve been here for so long, I’ve still never seen your wings. You never take off your cloak.” Now-familiar curiosity shone in his large round eyes.

“Oh…” Truthfully, I had forgotten as well. It was just chilly enough here that it never even crossed my mind to take the cloak from my shoulders. Though, upon thinking of showing him my wings, self-consciousness set in. “D-do you want to? See my wings - that is.”

Delphi clapped his hands together and leaned towards me in excitement. “Yes please !!”

“Okay…” Standing up and stretching, I unclasped the green fabric from around my throat and allowed it to float next to me. The sudden release of pressure on my wings made me accidentally flick them fully open, almost hitting Delphinium in the face with a wing-tip. Instead of getting upset, though, he only looked pleased.

“Wow! I hadn’t realized you had such big wings; they’re even bigger than mine. How…?” I could tell that he was trying desperately not to read my heart, as he had learned that I didn’t like when he did that. He had trouble controlling it, though.

“Well... let’s just say that I’m related to a Fairy King. That’s why my wings are this size.” I looked away uncomfortably, fidgeting with the edge of my cloak.

“Which one? How?” He reached as though to touch the colorful wing-tip that had almost hit him, but stopped and let his hand drop.

I didn’t answer, instead sitting back down on the branch and wrapping my arms around my wadded up cloak. He didn’t press for answers. All I tried to focus on was how nice the sunlight felt on my exposed wings. When I finally looked back to the other fairy, I noticed that he was deep in thought.

“If you’re related to a Fairy King…” he was mumbling, “would you possibly have the ability, Disaster…?”

Not sure if he actually wanted a response, I answered hesitantly. “...yes?”

He straightened in surprise. “You do?” Excitement - a different kind of excitement from before - seemed to radiate from him. When I nodded, he continued, wings buzzing erratically behind him. “Could you help me with something?”

“What do you need help with that requires Disaster?” Even though I asked this, I did have a clue as to where this was heading. I only hoped that I’d actually be able to help.

“Would you be able to thin the branches of the Sacred Tree so that a forest could grow here?” he confirmed my suspicions with his increasingly excited words.

“I mean… I can try…” I could feel my wings drooping in worry as I told him this. “I’ve never done anything like that before, but I’ll try my best.” Then another thought occured to me. “Wouldn’t that… I don’t know… hurt the tree?”

After thinking for a moment, Delphi waved away the concern. “The Sacred Tree’s strong enough to lose a few branches here and there. In fact, it’ll probably grow better after losing some of the excess.”

“If you say so.”

And that was how I ended up helping them clear out innumerable branches from above the town of Akshur. Many of the gargantuan branches shrivelled and fell, only to be caught by the levitation of dozens of tiny fairies that smelled of meadow grasses. By the time we were done, I was exhausted past the point that I thought was possible, but sunshine finally reached the earth beneath the tree.

Looking down from one of the still-numerous branches, I could just barely see elves standing in the streets, pulling down hoods and looking up into the unexpected light. Children’s squeals of delight reached my ears even here, and I could make out the tiny shapes spinning in circles in the abundant pools of golden light.

I couldn’t stop the smile from inching across my face as I looked over at the guardian fairy on the branch next to me. “Hey, Del-”

That was when it happened. A terrible, horrible, catastrophic feeling spread through my whole being, causing me to shudder violently and almost fall from my perch. Within an instant, Zephyr was by my side. It was obvious he had felt it as well, though it didn’t appear that anyone else had. Delphi was giving me a bewildered look, and I could see similar expressions on the faces of a handful of nearby fairies.

“What…” I managed to breath the words to the fox balanced on the branch between me and the other fairy. “What was that?”

He seemed just as disconcerted when he muttered his response. I believe that felt like connections being restored that have been gone for a long, long time. He narrowed his eyes. But why? And, just as importantly, how…? He flicked his tail in restlessness. But also… if you and I were the only ones to feel it, then what does that mean to us? Who…

“Is everything okay?” Delphi’s eyes were rounded in worry. “What are you two talking about?” He hovered a little ways off the branch as though to try to see what was wrong.

“It’s just… did you feel anything right then?” I asked him, desperate for an answer that I knew he couldn’t give. Perhaps everyone felt it, but not as strongly? I had a horrible gut feeling that only Zephyr and I experiencing it was not a good sign.

But of course, Delphinium shook his head. “No, I didn’t feel anything. Was I supposed to?” He looked around, then down at his chest and started patting himself all over, as though the feeling that Zephyr and I had had was hiding in his clothing.

“I-I guess not…” I started rubbing my arms, a shiver making its way up my spine that had nothing to do with cold. Even with fear for myself and Zephyr clouding my mind, I couldn’t help but think of the friends I’d left in Liones. Please be safe, guys.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next few days, though just as peaceful as they were before, were filled with nothing but my own concern. What had caused that feeling? Was Zephyr right? Was someone - or some thing - back? But from where would it come back from? What about the Sins? Were they okay? Was Helbram okay? Where were they all now? Were they still in Liones, or had they resumed their journey? Was Helbram still with them? Did they have something to do with that feeling the other day?

Delphi was worried about me and Zephyr; I could tell. He kept checking up on the both of us, going out of his way to make sure that everything was fine. It seemed so out of character for him. He was usually so cheerful, and could always find something to be excited about. But I guessed my stress was wearing on him. At one point, I was thinking that maybe I should leave - for his sake, if nothing else - but I suspected that he accidentally read my heart as I was thinking that, because it only got worse after that; he insisted on being around me anytime I was awake. Even though I told him that wasn’t necessary. Even though it would only make things more difficult.

Luckily, this only lasted a few days, because something happened that would lighten my mood drastically and make me temporarily forget about my worries.

Helbram came to the town of Akshur.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I had taken to one of the lower branches of the Sacred Tree, as it was raining, and here the upper branches kept me relatively dry. Once again, I had donned my cloak, but more to keep my wings out of the rain than to keep warm; it had warmed drastically under the tree after the removal of some of the branches, so I hadn’t been wearing the green cloak as much of late.

At the moment, I was watching in minor amusement as people in town ran to and fro trying to stay dry. They weren’t used to so much rain reaching the ground. For once, Delphi was leaving me to myself, and he was hanging out with some of his friends elsewhere. I was pretty sure he had gone to plant trees or something. 

However, I wasn’t completely alone. Zephyranthes was casually draped across the branch beside me, though I could see a bit of tension in his shoulders, which hadn’t left since it had first appeared a few days ago. He was also watching the people below, but his gaze wandered, revealing his lack of interest. When he had first started wandering the branches of the tree, I had been worried about him, but he had proven his capability by never falling, and using shadows to move from place to place whenever he wanted to change branches. But he wasn’t moving now; he was simply lying next to me, his front legs slightly hanging over the edge of the branch.

When do you think we’ll be leaving? He asked with a twitch of his nose. We’ve been here much longer than you implied when you decided to come here. Even though I enjoy hanging out in a giant tree all day as much as the next guy, there’s surely something better that we could be doing.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Such as?”

A conflicted look seemed to shadow his face, and he shook his head. Perhaps… No…

I tilted my head in curiosity. “Hm?”

Perhaps we could go in search of whatever caused that strange feeling the other day? It was more question than statement. But, if we did that… I have no clue what we might find. It could be dangerous.

Swinging my legs back and forth over the side of the branch, I looked back over the town nestled in the roots below. It really had a different look to it from above. “Well, it’s not like we’ve done nothing dangerous recently. You’re right that it’s boring here, though; being with the Sins was exciting, and made me see how much fun it can be travelling and meeting new people. I miss travelling with them. I’ll bet they’d know what caused the feeling from the other day. They’re probably trying to deal with it as we speak. I wonder if Helbram is still with them.” At that, Zephyr stiffened, but I barely noticed. “I’d happily go back there. I’m sure enough time has probably passed. But…”

Seemingly forcing himself to relax, Zephyr scooted closer to me and laid a paw on my leg. But what?

“But they’ve probably moved on by now. They’re probably no longer in Liones. They’ve probably completely forgotten about me, even. It’s not like I was a Sin, or a princess, or even a talking pig. I was just a tagalong. I was just someone that they picked up on the side of the road and took with them. Someone that wasn’t needed. So what point is there in me going back?” My legs had stopped swinging, and I had hunched in on myself.

Zephyr shook his head with a sigh and a sad smile. Zinnia, you really need to fix your confidence. You’re more wanted than you seem to realize. Then he scoffed. You’re more useful than that pig of theirs - that’s for sure. Not to mention that I’m certain that Meliodas-sama would never object to you tagging along. Then there’s Harlequin-sama. He seems to like you well enough. Elizabeth-san and Diane-sama both appear to think of you as a good friend. And Ban… He’s Ban. I don’t think he really cares either way. Same with Gowther. I have no clue what history you have with Gowther - which is weird, since we’re always together - but he doesn’t seem to remember it either. And Merlin… I have no clue with her; you know how she is. I’m kinda surprised she’s even with the Sins in the first place, but you never know what’s going through her mind.

Overall, though, they seem to really accept you. He let out a quiet whine. More than most people have.

I had to stop myself from saying my thoughts aloud. Yeah, but being accepted and being wanted are two completely different things. I pushed the unwanted thoughts away. “But you’re right. We can’t stay here forever. I already feel bad for imposing on Delphinium for as long as we have. We’re probably doing more harm than good here at this point.” The fox shade didn’t say anything, only lowering his head slightly as I went on. “Perhaps it would be best if we moved on soon. Though… I don’t know where we would go. Would we just travel aimlessly like we used to? I’m not sure I could-”

Zephyr suddenly sat up, looking into the distance. Someone’s here. Was all he said. He flicked his tail and narrowed his eyes.

“What? I thought that no one could come here because of Delphinium’s illusions.” Thoughts of leaving instantly left my mind, replaced with curiosity. Then I gave Zephyr a confused look. “And how did you notice them from so far away?”

Normally I wouldn’t. His eyes were trained on a spot in the distance. But they appeared out of nowhere. And I think it’s someone we know. I think it may be… He gave a soft growl of frustration and disappeared into the shadows, instantly moving from shadow to shadow towards whoever had arrived.

“Wh-what?! Zephyr, you can’t just leave me in anticipation and then leave like that!” I jumped up off the branch, slipping slightly on the rain-slick bark. I flew after him, trying to dodge the areas that the rain was pouring the worst between the branches. It looked like dodging the falling water was pointless, though. While it’s near impossible to follow a fox shade that’s travelling via shadow, I had noticed that wherever he was looking was far past town, out past the branches of the tree, in the open field. I sighed as I exited the relative dryness of the branches, immediately getting drenched in the downpour.

It actually took a bit of zigzagging back and forth to find what - or who - Zephyr was talking about, which was surprising considering that it was an open field filled with only grass. But, perhaps the rain was making it harder to see, or perhaps the person’s green clothes made them harder to see against the green grass. Whatever it was, it took longer than I would have liked before spotting a soaked fox shade glaring at an equally soaked fairy.

A fairy dressed all in green.

A fairy I recognized.

“Helbram!!” My smile mirrored the grin that cracked his face when he spotted me.

“Zinnia!” He flew up to meet me, abandoning an annoyed-looking Zephyr on the ground. “So this is where you were hiding. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Y-you have?” I could feel a light blush creeping across my cheeks, and tried my best to hide it.

He laughed. “Well, yes and no. I looked for a couple of days before just asking Oslo to send me to you.”

“Oslo? Who’s that?”

“Oh, he’s a black hound. He sometimes hangs out with Harlequin. I’m kinda surprised you haven’t met him yet.” Helbram explained. “I assume you know what a black hound is?”

“Yeah, a little.” I told him, a little embarrassed by my lack of knowledge. “They’ve got teleportation powers similar to a fox shade’s right?”

“Yep! They’re a little different, but it’s not too important to explain right now. What’s important is getting out of this rain.” He gestured around us, as though to point out the fact that there was water everywhere. “Do you know of somewhere nearby that we can take shelter?”

I did. Of course I did. But it suddenly crossed my mind that Delphi and the other fairies might not be the most thrilled at seeing a fairy from the other Fairy King’s Forest here. They had been avoiding them for nearly 2000 years, after all. But, as usual, I couldn’t hide it from Helbram.

“You do? Good! Let’s go!” He had only read my heart for the first half, it seemed, as he didn’t seem bothered at all.

Shrugging slightly uncomfortably, I nodded. “Okay.” I then looked down to where Zephyr was sitting on the ground, looking up at the two fairies chatting in the sky. He looked like a really annoyed (and slightly sad?) wet rat, which made me feel bad for him. His fur would take forever to dry. I was just about to tell him to meet us back at the Sacred Tree when he disappeared into the shadows once again. “Huh…”

Instead of stopping to wonder about it, I turned my attention back to Helbram. “It’s this way.” And so I led him back to the Sacred Tree of Akshur through the gray, wet day.

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the tree. It was so weird; from here, the leaves all looked green, but I knew that up in the branches one could easily see that they were pink. The handiwork of Delphi’s illusion magic, no doubt. I had kind of expected Helbram to say something about the giant tree, but from what I could tell, he was just taking it in right now. He’d probably say something soon, though; I was certain.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, causing me to slow to a stop and look to the other fairy. “Hey, Helbram, is it really okay for you to be here? What, with what Merlin said and all…”

His grin, which had been replaced by a look of mixed surprise and wonder moments before, returned. “Yep! Merlin-san said that I should be fine now. That goes for being around humans, too. I think…”

“Let’s just hope so…” I said quietly while I nodded at him. I then returned to leading him to town.

Within moments, the town came into sight. Most people were inside at this point, but some were still running around frantically, trying to move stuff out of the rain. No one spared a glance upward for the two fairies above them.

“A human town beneath a giant tree?! What is this place…?” Helbram’s curiosity seemed to be piqued. This seemed like a good time for him - a time where he seemed more like his old self in his fascination with humans. I had missed the part of him that was filled with wonder at everything humans did - a trait that had been ripped away by the humans themselves.

“There’s… a bit more to it than that. You’ll see.” I could feel my wings flicker in nervousness beneath my cloak.

Soon enough, we were at the base of the giant tree, in a hollow between roots that were so large the humans had yet to get over them. This was where we met Delphi. He didn’t look surprised that I had come to meet him here with another fairy. While the blue fairy appeared excited at Helbram’s arrival, I could see a tinge of wariness in his eyes now. When had he lost that joyous glee that I was used to? Had my constant worry stolen it from him? I hoped not.

“Zinnia, who’s this? Some of the fairies wandering the plains told me they spotted you talking with a stranger.” His tone was more serious than I’d ever heard it.

I nodded. “This is my friend, Helbram.” I turned to Helbram. “Helbram, this is Delphinium. He’s um…” How was I supposed to describe Delphi’s position here? King? Guardian? Leader?

“I watch over everyone here.” Delphinium had relaxed a bit, and a vague smile had returned to his face. It fit him much better than the serious look. “Please call me Delphi.” And then, like water bursting through a dam, he sprang forward. “Another fairy? Where did you come from? Why are you here? How did you get here? How do you know Zinnia? How did you feel when you found out that she’s not a full-”

Luckily, that was the moment that Zephyr made his appearance. He jumped out of Delphi’s shadow - much more dramatically than usual, I might add - and shook himself out, spraying water everywhere and making Delphi instantly stop talking and start laughing. Do any of your fairies have wind magic, Delphi? I’d really appreciate being able to dry off.

“Of course!” Delphi was still laughing, slightly bent over. “We should definitely get you dried off. I don’t want the whole place smelling like wet fox, after all.” Zephyr pretended to be upset at the words, glaring daggers at the fairy, but we had both learned by now to not take offense at Delphi’s words. Delphinium gestured toward a smaller fairy. “Youth, could you take Zephyr over there and help him out?”

The blond girl - who had been one of the ones that Delphi had introduced me to when we first met - stepped forward. “Of course, Delphi.” She dipped her head, her golden eyes shining in the half-light. I watched as she floated to the other side of the clearing, Zephyr following after her, before turning and seeing the confused look plastered across Helbram’s face.

“What is going on here…?” He asked quietly. “Why are there so many fairies here? And why is there a giant tree? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think…”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re right!” Delphi told him. “This is a Sacred Tree!”

Helbram froze, looking up at the branches far above us, then to me, and back again, as though trying to get me to say that it was all a big joke. Only, it wasn’t.

“Don’t worry, I had the same reaction.” I gave him a sympathetic look. “I’ll explain everything.”

And so, I did.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long to catch Helbram up to speed on what was going on here. He seemed just as weirded out as I was when I first arrived, if not more so. (“Fairies can have children with other races?” he had asked. I hadn’t even thought to ask that, as I’d already known the answer.) Luckily, he hadn’t even seemed to have noticed that Delphi’s last question to him had been cut short by Zephyr’s arrival. While Helbram and I had been friends for hundreds of years, I still had yet to tell him about my being half demon, and I wasn’t yet ready to.

The pink-haired fairy, Radcli, had been annoyed with Delphi’s excitement at meeting a new fairy. (“I thought I said you should be serious,” he had told the blue fairy, sighing in exasperation. “What’s the point of having stayed hidden all this time if we’re just going to welcome every fairy we see with open arms?”) I could see him now, floating casually next to Zephyr, who was now dry and noticeably fluffy due to Youth’s wind magic. It had only been a few hours since Helbram had arrived, and Delphi was at it, as usual, asking Helbram all kinds of questions.

“What’s it like, in the main Fairy King’s Forest?” He had been floating on his stomach, looking for all the world like a little kid lying on the ground to get a better look at some bug or flower, when he decided to flip over onto his back, causing his hair to fall from his shoulders and hang in the air beneath him. It was a funny sight to behold, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Well,” Helbram started from his spot next to me on the root we were sitting on. “There were more trees there.” His words were serious, as though this was the only difference between the two places.

Silence…

Then they both started laughing. Of course the two of them would get along; Delphi was practically a more extreme version of Helbram when it came to playfulness.

“Is that all…?” Delphi asked once his laughter had finally calmed down. He had turned right side up again during this time, and his hair was a mess in more ways than one. “I’m pretty sure I already knew as much. What’s the Fairy King like?”

“Hmmm…” Helbram put his hand to his chin, thinking. Or, at least, pretending to think. Acting like he didn’t know the Fairy King like the back of his hand. “Lazy, greedy, never wants to have any fun…”

I gasped in mock astonishment. “Helbram!” But his laughter had only started back up again, and I couldn’t help but join in as Delphi looked curious and amused.

“But seriously,” Helbram said after a moment. “I guess that the Fairy King’s Forest was a lot bigger than here, and spread much further, with many more fairies, and less… humans? What did you call them? Elves? And Harlequin is Harlequin. He’s a big softie with a crush on a giant. Though he can be strong when he needs to be.” He unconsciously touched his chest in a spot that I knew had been the most damaged during his fight with Harlequin. “What’s it like living in a Fairy Forest that isn’t the main one?”

“Fun enough, I guess. I’ve never known anything different to compare it to.” Delphi then pouted, puffing out his cheeks. “But that’s just it! I’ve never been anywhere else! I want to explore! I want to go out and see the world. I want to experience life beyond the edges of the field. I want to meet new people and races and creatures. I want to do something new .” By now he was practically shouting, his eyes shining brightly, but then he went quiet. “Everything’s always the same here. While the people in town slowly are exchanged for their children and grandchildren, not much changes from one generation to the next.

“Radcli and the others say that I must stay here. I understand what they’re saying - I’m the only one with the illusion magic to keep the forest safe - but it doesn’t stop my longing to go beyond the boundaries.” He stopped at this point, staring at something only he could see, a sorrow I’d never known he had clouding his eyes.

Uncertain, I stood and was about to try to find a way to comfort him when another fairy appeared at his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “One day,” Elque told him, the strength of an unspoken promise ringing in his voice. “One day we’ll get you out of here. But for now, we need you here.” His amber eyes shone with determination, and he looked every bit the part of someone comforting their younger brother, even though I knew Delphi to be older.

In fact, now that I thought about it, Delphi was older than Harlequin, but he seemed so much younger. Was it because he was always confined here? Because he’d never had any conflict to help him mature? The other fairies around him seemed mature in comparison. Elque, Youth, Radcli, Ayisa, Ana, and some of the others seemed so much more responsible than him. Was it because they had to pick up the slack from their leader?

As though summoning them with a thought, two of the three female “advisers” of Delphi’s approached. I hadn’t spoken to them that much, but I remembered them to be Ayisa and Ana. Normally I would get the two mixed up, as they looked almost exactly the same, but Ana had short black hair highlighted with green, and Ayisa had short black hair highlighted with dark purple. I only hoped that they didn’t plan on dyeing their hair anytime soon.

“Now that your friend is here, you should take him around town. Show him the sights.” Ayisa flickered her small, beetle-like wings as she spoke.

Ana followed her up with a giggle. “Not that there’s much to see around here!”

“Yes there is!” Ayisa turned on the other girl.

“There hasn’t been anything new in about eight hundred years, though.” Ana’s complaint didn’t sound like it was the first time she was making it. It probably wouldn’t be the last, either.

The twin fairies then glared at each other. While it looked like they were having a staring contest, I knew that they were arguing via heart reading, which creeped me out on a whole new level. At least other fairies had the decency to speak what they wanted to say aloud; these two had picked up the habit of having whole conversations in their heads, and I’d seen a fairy respond to them without their having said a word on more than one occasion.

Helbram, who could probably hear exactly what they were saying to each other, was smirking a bit, but then he must have noticed my expression, for he frowned. “Maybe we should, umm…” He gestured back towards the direction of town.

I nodded, though I paused. “What about Zephyr?”

Ayisa broke from their staring contest, snapping her gaze towards me. “The fox said that he’s going to spend the day with Radcli.”

Ana smiled. “He said ‘have fun!’”

“He did not say it with that much enthusiasm!” Ayisa turned back to the green-haired fairy with a scowl.

“Hey!” Ana seemed almost hurt, and tried to defend herself. “I was just adding it for him! I doubt that he meant for it to come across as somber as he made it sound.”

I mentally retracted my previous thought that the other fairies were more mature than Delphi. These two weren’t.

Upon my thinking that, Helbram’s eyes widened and he laughed, but before the bickering fairies could notice, he quickly took hold of my hand and tugged me away from their argument, towards the elven town. 

Soon enough, we were standing in puddle-filled streets, looking around at the empty neighborhood. We were in a residential district, and, even though the rain had stopped soon after Helbram’s arrival, most people were inside their homes.

Helbram let go of my hand, but for some reason an electric feeling seemed to be buzzing through my hand where they had been touching moments before. I tried not to dwell on it, instead tightening my cloak around my shoulders so as to try to keep the dampness out.

“I wonder if the market is still open...” I stretched up on my toes, trying to see further down the hill to where the commercial district was located. From here, though, houses obstructed my view, so I had no answer to my question.

Suddenly, I heard the poof sound of transformation come from behind me, followed by a bit white smoke seeping into the edges of my vision. Confused, I dropped back to flat on my feet and turned around to find that Helbram had been replaced by an older, green-haired man wearing an eyepatch and golden armour.

“W-why…?” My shock didn’t even allow me to ask a full question.

“Well we can’t have everyone seeing that I’m a fairy, can we?” His voice had deepened. “There’s a reason I always took this form when I was with the Holy Knights.” He seemed proud of his own foresight.

I sweatdropped. “Can you… Are you perhaps able to just make your wings disappear? Or maybe you could just wear a cloak?” Actually, I’d never thought about just trying to make my wings disappear until now. I wondered if it was possible.

As I was thinking, Helbram returned to his fairy form with a slight pout. “I thought it was a good idea…”

But I didn’t respond; I was still thinking about if I could transform so that the only difference was that I didn’t have my wings. It would certainly make life easier. I wouldn’t always need to either transform into a human or to wear my cloak. Maybe I should make my ears not so pointed as well…

“Hey! Don’t change your ears!” I jumped as Helbram’s exclamation ripped me from my thoughts. He was looking at me intensely, but as soon as my eyes landed on him, he turned his face away and I saw his ears and cheeks turn pink. I could only barely hear the mumble that followed. “They’re a part of your charm…”

“I-I-Um-Uh-” He may have been red, but I must have been ten times worse. I couldn’t even get my flustered words out as I tripped over my own tongue. I looked away, though my eyes didn’t focus on anything in particular. Even now, I could feel the tiniest of smiles tugging on my lips.

After a moment of that weird silence, I heard another poof , and I looked back to find Helbram no different. But wait… his wings were missing.

“I did it!” He was looking over his shoulder at his empty back, and I was sure that, had they still been there, his wings would’ve been flickering in excitement. “No wings!”

I held my hand to my mouth to partially hide my chuckle. “I’m sure Harlequin wishes he could do the opposite.” Then I closed my eyes and concentrated on the image of myself without wings. I’d had mine for so long that it was difficult to imagine, but eventually I felt a change, and when I opened my eyes once more I found that smoke was dissipating around me. “Do I look any different?” I asked Helbram.

He pulled an amused face and leaned forward, his hair falling slightly into his eyes. “Kinda hard to tell when you’re still wearing your cloak.

“Oh yeah…” I removed my cloak, rolling it in a bundle and holding it to my chest. Even having not worn my cloak so much around the Sins, it felt weird to not have the weight on my shoulders. What felt even weirder, though, was to feel my hair brushing against my back.

“Yep!” Helbram confirmed. “They’re gone.”

“This is so weird…” I said, tilting my head over my shoulder to get a better look. “I mean, I could have turned into my human form, but ever since Elizabeth’s face appeared on that wanted poster, I’ve been hesitant to. I guess that doesn’t matter now, though, since the Sins are no longer criminals... This is so weird …”

“You’re repeating yourself,” Helbram told me with a smile. “C’mon, let’s go explore!”

I didn’t bother telling him that I’d already explored the place from top to bottom thrice over. Instead, I gave him a wide grin and followed after him as he fast-walked down the hill. He seemed as excited as a kid going to market for the first time, which was kind of weird considering that he had lived among humans for a few years before now. But then I remembered he had mentioned his memories from that time being blurry, so perhaps it was like he was experiencing it for the first time. Or is it something else… That last thought only occurred to me when I noticed how often Helbram was shooting me discreet smiles.

“What?” I furrowed my brow when I caught him giving me a goofy smile for about the tenth time. “Do I have something on my face?” I scrubbed my face with my hands, trying to get whatever may have been there off.

He quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in the buildings around us, and clasped his hands behind his back. “Oh, nothing.” Though I could see that the smile from before was still stubbornly stuck on his face.

Not for the first time, I wished that I was able to read hearts like other fairies. At least then I’d know what was going through his head right now. But then, I probably also wouldn’t enjoy it. It must get annoying to always be able to tell what others are thinking. I wondered if they were able to control it. Did they hear others’ thoughts at all times, or was it just passive? Because with some fairies, they seemed to do it like second nature, but I found that others didn’t have that problem. Maybe it was different for each fairy?

“Is this it?” Helbram’s voice made me glance up from my thought-filled daze, and I looked around to find that we were already at the market. Most of the outside vendors appeared to be closed due to the earlier rain that had formed great puddles and rivers in the streets, but some shops - the ones based out of solid buildings - were still open.

“Yeah, though I guess most everything is closed right now.” I scratched my head in embarrassment. “It seems they aren’t used to having to deal with so much rain. Looks like it was a ruined trip.”

“Nonsense!” He once again grabbed my hand and pulled me into the nearest open shop, which appeared to be some kind of odds-and-ends shop. Nothing matched, and everything was out of order in stacks and heaps on the shelves. A musty smell penetrated the store, and I was pretty sure that I saw a cat wandering around some of the back shelves.

The belated clanging chime of the bell attached to the wooden door startled me as the door closed behind us, causing me to almost jump into Helbram. He snickered and smiled at me, releasing his grip on my hand and allowing his gaze to wander the messy store.

“Ooh, customers! It’s been a few days since we’ve had any.” My ears twitched as they picked up the quiet voice coming from the back of the store. It was followed by a muffled meow and a shushing noise. “Welcome to The Cat’s Basket!” The voice - now recognizable as an elderly woman, called from the back. Shuffling noises filled the silence after her words before she continued. “Welcome, welcome- Oh! I’ve never seen either o’ you before!” The woman’s hunched form had become visible as she made her way to the front of the store, and now she stood before us. She was shorter than me (which was saying something), with pale skin wrinkled with age and short hair that was a silver that I wasn’t sure if it was from her age or from whatever fairy was in her family tree. It was pretty obvious that she was at least part fairy, judging by her pointed ears, which was a trait I’d never seen in humans before reaching this town. She wore a pink gown that was reminiscent of Elizabeth’s nightgown, only it was larger and more worn, and comfy gray slippers adorned her feet. The final piece to her look was a pair of oversized spectacles that had a gold safety chain that looped around behind her neck. “Are we finally able to leave town?”

“Uhhh…” I glanced away. “No, sorry.”

She looked confused. “Then how are you…” Her eyes seemed to light up as realization dawned on her. “You must be the girl Harlow found!” She leaned forwards on the small cane that I had just noticed was in her hand. “I remember him sayin’ that he found a young girl out in the field when he was comin’ home. But then, who’re-”

She had turned to Helbram with a squint when I gave her a closed-eyed smile and waved my hands in front of me to draw her attention. “He’s a friend of mine - he was actually out in the field, too. I’m sure that Harlow-san probably forgot to mention him when he told you about me.”

Catching on, Helbram grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what happened. After all, who could forget that face?” It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about me, and heat rushed through my cheeks as I tucked a bit of hair behind my ear. Had Helbram always been so flirty? “She outshines me so much that people forget I even exist sometimes.” He hung his head in sorrow, as though this happened every other day.

After thinking for a moment, a look of sympathy crossed the woman’s face and she reached up and patted Helbram’s shoulder. “Now, now, poor child. I’m certain we can find somethin’ that’ll let you stand out as much as yer girl, here. So just come over here…”

Both mine and Helbram’s eyes widened at her words, but we never got a chance to say anything against it, as her grip on Helbram’s shoulder had tightened and she was making her way to a spot in the back of the shop behind some shelves. Soon enough, I was standing alone on the doorway, mouth agape and face the color of tomatoes. Then, realizing what had just happened, I quickly chased after them, trying my best not to knock anything over or to cause any avalanches.

Chapter Text

Chapter 41: Sweet Apples

The old bell clanged once again as the door to the shop closed behind us.

“I can’t believe that she managed to convince you to buy all that!” I scolded Helbram with a laugh. “I’ll bet that you’re all out of money now, too. Now there’s no point in going to any more shops.”

“I am not all out of money.” Helbram told me from behind the mountain of boxes that were stacked in his arms. “And she convinced you to buy stuff, too, so don’t act like I’m the only guilty one.”

“She convinced me to buy one thing. And I was gonna buy it anyways.” I pulled a shiny piece of quartz out of the small bag in my hand. “I hope Zephyr likes it. He left his collection of rocks and stuff back at the Boar’s Hat, so I thought he’d like something to have here.”

“That collection of random rocks and bits of junk I found under a box in the attic?” Helbram’s words were surprised. “Was that his?”

“Junk? Wait, don’t tell me you-”

Neither of us had seen the girl coming from Helbram’s other side, so we were both shocked when she crashed into him, knocking him over, and toppling his boxes into the street. Clothing poured from the boxes, directly into dirty puddles, ruining the fabric.

“Ahh, I’m so, so sorry!” The girl looked mortified at what had just happened, and her amber eyes were wide in shock. From her place in the puddle on the ground, she was just as soaked through as Helbram’s newly-bought clothes, and her blue hair looked nearly black from the wetness. “I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going, a-and-”

Helbram only laughed, though, seemingly unbothered by the fact that all the money he had just spent had been wasted. “No, no. It’s my fault as well. I was carrying too much stuff, and wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.” He stood up and motioned as though to dust himself off (it didn’t really do anything other than move a bit of dirt from his hands to his pants) before extending a hand to the girl.

She gladly took it, relief spreading across her face. “My name’s Emma, what’s yours?”

“I’m Helbram!” He smiled, then he turned so that I was more visible to the girl. “And this is Zinnia.”

“Oh,” The droop in Emma’s pointed ears was so minuscule it was hard to see, but I was just able to catch it as she took in my minorly annoyed face. “You weren’t alone.” She seemed to push away her disappointment before smiling at me as well. “Nice to meet you Zinnia-san!” Emma then turned back to Helbram, pointedly ignoring me. “Hey, I work at a bakery just down the road. Perhaps you could come by sometime and I could give you something to make up for running into you?”

“N-”

“Sure, why not?” Helbram probably didn’t even notice he cut off my refusal. “Why don’t we go right now?” He quickly grabbed all the soaking clothes off the ground and started trying to fit them back in their boxes.

“Eh- Right now?” Emma looked over Helbram’s shoulder at me.

“Of course! When else am I gonna get this chance? It’s not everyday that Zinnia and I walk around town together.” He seemed completely oblivious to the venom that Emma was shooting me over his shoulder, while I was only smirking in response. “What do you think, Zinnia?” He turned to look at me now that he had gathered up his boxes once again.

I gave him an innocent smile. “Sounds great!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Emma ended up grudgingly leading us to a cute little bakery that had been just out of sight of the shop we had come out of. Helbram and I couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing the name painted on the fanciful sign that hung above the door to the shop.

Emma turned back to us with a baffled look. “What is it?”

“It’s just-” was all Helbram could get out before his laughs stopped him.

“The-the name of the bakery-” I, too, couldn’t say much past my laughter.

Now she was almost glaring at us. “What’s wrong with it?”

“ The Fairy King’s Bakery! ” Helbram choked out, tears streaming down his face.

“What about it? My grandfather named this bakery, and no one’s had a problem with the name before.” She seemed slightly annoyed, but more curious than anything.

I put a hand on Helbram’s shoulder and tried to stop my laughter. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s just go ahead in.”

When Emma pushed the door open ahead of us, a much softer, more melodic bell than the one in the Cat’s Basket chimed, signalling the arrival of customers. The scent of fresh bread and sweets greeted my nose, making for an instantly pleasant atmosphere.

“Welcome to the Fairy King’s Bakery!” A middle-aged man with blue hair akin to Emma’s greeted us, and I had to restrain myself, lest my laughter start up again. I looked across the room to see that the man was standing behind a glass-covered counter, and had now turned to a line of customers eagerly waiting to buy baked goods from him. In between us and the counter was a seating area with small round tables and cushioned chairs that looked comfy even from here. Most of the tables seated three to four people, but I spotted a few that only held two chairs, most of which were in use. The light colors used for the bakery - mainly white and pastel green - helped give the room an open atmosphere, assisted by the windows lining the front and one side of the store.

“That’s a long line,” Helbram commented. He was struggling to see ahead of himself through the stack of boxes that he still insisted on carrying. Giving off a slight sigh, I took about half of the boxes from his arms so that he was less likely to hit someone in the head whenever he moved.

“Oh, it’s fine,” Emma was saying, her eyes only on Helbram. “Since it’s me, I can just go and get something from behind the counter - Otou-san won’t mind.” She leaned in toward Helbram, and I could feel my grip tighten on the boxes I was holding. “What would you like?”

“Hmmm…” Helbram furrowed his brow in indecision. Suddenly though, he smiled. “I’ve got it! How about an apple pie?” He turned to me with a grin that felt like sunshine after a dreary day. “I promised you that we’d find the best apple pie, right? We might as well start here.”

“That sounds perfect!” I returned the smile. “It could mark the start of our adventure!”

I barely noticed Emma’s hopeless sigh followed by a quiet “Seat yourselves.”

We quickly found one of the few remaining tables with two seats and made our way over to it before stacking the boxes next to the seats and sitting down. A beautifully carved wooden vase took its place at the center of the table, showcasing an assortment of the local wildflowers, giving the table a wonderfully fresh scent.

“So,” I said to the fairy across from me as I sat down. “Does this mean we’re starting our adventure today?”

“Didn’t you already say that this pie was marking the start of it?” Helbram gave his signature sly smirk before propping his elbows on the table.

“I mean, I did…” I hesitated. “But I wasn’t sure…”

“I’m ready to go whenever you are.” His smile brightened as he leaned forward. “It’s been over seven hundred years since we made that promise, so it’s probably about time we actually went through with it, don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s true, but-” I was about to tell him about the weird feeling Zephyr and I’d experienced the other day, but this was the exact moment that Emma returned with the pie.

Emma appeared, seemingly out of thin air, next to the table. She set down a wonderfully delicious looking pie. Only… she set it specifically in front of Helbram. What is her problem? She’s acting like I don’t exist! Or like she doesn’t want me to exist… The way she’s smiling at Helbram and only talking to him, she probably-

“This looks perfect! Thank you so much, Emma-san.” Helbram was smiling at her. However, I felt a note of satisfaction that the smile he had given me earlier had been a much warmer one.

“Oh, you can just call me Emma.” The girl blushed as she said this and covered half her face with the tray she had used to carry the pie out with.

Helbram didn’t seem to be paying attention though, and was instead looking to the pie with a confused look. “Why is there only one fork, though? There’s two of us.”

“Silly me!” Emma said in embarrassment that I knew to be fake. She hadn’t gotten me a fork on purpose, of that I was certain. “I-I can go get another, if you’d like.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Zinnia and I can just share!” He smiled at me. At this point, I was also pretty certain that Helbram was faking his ignorance of Emma’s intentions. But I could barely think of that now as the blush spread across my cheeks. Helbram had taken a bit of the pie and was holding it out to me on the fork. Was he expecting me to- “Zinnia, say ‘aah~’”

The blush on my face only got worse, and I was vaguely aware of Emma storming away, somewhere far away in the background. I wasn’t sure what was more red - me or the wild roses in the vase on the table. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was opening my mouth, and the sweet taste of apples bathed my tongue. Who had made me do such a thing? I could swear that I hadn’t told my body to do it. One minute I was sitting there as red as an apple, the next, I was slightly leaning forward to eat the bite that Helbram had offered. Truthfully, Helbram seemed almost as surprised as me. His pink-tipped ears were twitching in amusement, and his grin had grown slightly lopsided in that adorable way that revealed just a few of his teeth.

What was I thinking? I pulled away, removing the fork from my mouth. Adorable? Since when have I- But I could already see on Helbram’s face that he’d heard my thoughts, and the pink on his ears had spread to his cheeks.

“So how does it taste?”

“W-what?” I was confused. What was he talking about?

“The pie. Is it good?” Helbram glanced away and scratched his cheek. He was fidgeting with the fork, nearly dropping it a few times.

“Oh! The pie!” I struggled to remember what it tasted like. “It was really good. You should try a bite.”

“Okay, then…” Using the same fork as I had eaten off of, Helbram took a bite of the pie, and his face lit up. “You’re right! It’s delicious!”

Wait, really? I had just automatically said it was good. Now I wished I’d been paying more attention to the taste. It certainly smelled delicious now that the top had been broken, allowing the aroma of baked apples to permeate the air. I was more annoyed than ever with Emma for only bringing one fork. She hadn’t even brought plates.

“Here!” Helbram was offering me another bite. Why wouldn’t he just let me use the fork myself…

This time, I closed my eyes and leaned forward to take a bite, focusing my attention not on who was holding the fork, but on the contents of it. Flavor exploded in my mouth. The perfectly cooked apples, the syrupy sugar, the perfectly flaky crust. “You’re right!”

Helbram laughed. “Weren’t you the one who said it was good?”

“I don’t think we need to go on an adventure to find the best apple pie; I think we’ve already found it.” I was holding my cheeks, savoring the pie as much as I could. Even the bitterness that I could feel directed at me from Emma on the other side of the room added to the flavor.

“Eh- But this is only the first pie! We have to try every pie!” Helbram exclaimed. His eyes had widened, and his mouth was full of pie as he spoke, making it hard to take him seriously.

“You know I was just-”

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded outside, and an overwhelming presence nearly knocked me out of my chair. As it was, all of the tables’ vases fell over, and the one at our table landed directly in the pie, pouring water and flowers all over it.

Pushing myself away from the table, I stood up and looked toward the windows. “What’s going on?” People outside were screaming, and for some reason, the lighting seemed slightly off. Many of the people in the shop were rushing outside, their food forgotten. From what I could see through the windows, some of the townsfolk seemed to be running towards the commotion, but most were running away.

“Only one way to find out!” Helbram jumped up from his seat and flew to the entrance, only pausing to make sure I was following. Once he saw that I was, he flew out the door. I was only a second behind him.

Fires, fires everywhere. Buildings were crushed and tree roots were torn. And standing above it all, above even the Sacred Tree of Akshur itself, was something that I was sure would soon be making appearances in my nightmares.

This was the moment that Zephyr decided to return. I felt a cold shiver around me only a heartbeat before he appeared. He was staring up at the monstrosity with a fear I’d never seen him have.

I’ve never actually seen one before, his voice whispered. I was told about these things before we left the forest all that time ago. I’d assumed they were all gone.

“What is it, Zephyr?” Whatever it was, it was causing more destruction as I asked the question. I knew we had to hurry, but I couldn’t seem to get my frozen legs to move.

The fox shade’s tail fell behind him, and I could barely hear his answer over the fearful screams of the crowd around us. It’s an Albion.

Bonus 6: Making a friend

(Aka, what happens after the flashback in chapter 13)

“Hnnn?”

The bright sunlight hurt Zinnia’s eyes, causing her to shut them again and groan. Where am I? This isn’t the Fairy King’s Forest… Her memory felt fuzzy, and she could only vaguely remember a dreadful feeling. The memory was fleeting - like it was just out of reach. She almost felt as though she didn’t want to remember, so strong was the dread emanating from it.

“Oh, you’re awake,” the male voice came from nearby.

Zinnia cracked her eyes open again, squinting from the beams of sunlight that penetrated the window above her. She tilted her head aside to see a frail-looking man sitting beside the bed on which she lay. While he appeared frail, he also looked younger, and he had short, light brown hair. His angular glasses reflected the sunlight, nearly hiding his round brown eyes. A tired smile brightened his face, but his sunken eyes showed signs of sleep-deprivation.

“Umm…” the fairy girl mumbled. “Where am I? How did I get here?”

“This is the village of Voryn. And I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to answer your second question. I just opened my door a few days ago, and you were just laying there, unconscious, in the street. You had a terrible wound through your chest. To tell you the truth, I was surprised that you were still alive - that you’re alive now!” His words started apologetic, but as he continued, they became filled with a slight awe. “I’ve known many to die from less.”

“Wound…?” She lifted the blanket that covered her body, finding that her torso was swathed in bandages. Pain shot through her from the movement, and she put her arm down. Where had that come from? What was she missing? Something tugged at the back of her mind, inducing a mild headache.

“Careful not to move too much; you don’t want to reopen the wound,” the man recommended.

“Who are you?”

“The name’s Zeke. I’m Voryn’s doctor. It’s a pretty small village, so there’s not much demand for doctors here,” he explained. “You’re lucky that you were collapsed in front of my house. I’m not sure how far you could have been moved with how much blood you were losing.” Zeke paused, looking closer at the fairy. “Where are your parents? A child such as you shouldn’t be so far from them. No one in the village recognized you, so you aren’t of the village… Are your parents travelers?”

“I… I don’t have any…” She wasn’t sure what made her say that. Last she remembered, she still had her father. Maybe she’d said it because he was a demon - a race considered to be evil. Wait, what about Zephyr? Was he here? She really hoped he was; she didn’t know what she would do if she was all alone here...

Quickly, Zinnia tried to inconspicuously tap the code she and the fox had come up with into the bed. One tap, followed by three, then two, one, and two again. She was worried that he wouldn’t respond - they’d only recently come up with the code. What if he didn’t remember?

I’m here, Zinnia. Don’t worry. The fox’s young voice echoed in her head, making her sigh.

“An orphan? I didn’t realize… I’m so sorry…” the doctor went on, making Zinnia realize that, in her panic, she had almost forgotten what they had been talking about. “Well, it looks like you’ll have to stay here to heal for awhile, so, depending on how that goes, perhaps you could stay with me once you’re better. That, or I could work on finding someone to look after you…” He leaned back on his stool, cupping his chin with his hand as he drifted away in his thoughts.

“Staying here?” She couldn’t help but ask. “But… I just want to go home.” Tears started to edge her eyes. “I wanna be with Onii-chan and Onee-san… Though I guess this is better than being with Onee-sama…” She trailed off, pain flashing in her eyes. Why couldn’t she just be back in the forest? Why was she here?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Time passed.

Zinnia healed faster than Zeke expected. Well, faster and slower. Her body healed, but she felt extremely sick. 

On about the third day, a woman came. She had handed some folded up green fabric to Zeke. “I finally managed to get all the blood out,” She’d told him. When she’d noticed Zinnia propped up with pillows on the bed behind Zeke, she’d smiled at the young girl before turning back to the doctor. “I have to go now. Kay tends to get into trouble when left alone.” And with that, she’d left.

Zeke had then turned back to Zinnia, holding out the fabric. “Your cloak was pretty badly stained, but luckily it wasn’t damaged like the rest of your clothing, so we were able to save it.” He’d then gently handed it to her.

“Cloak…?” She hadn’t remembered having a cloak, but she’d taken it anyway. It’d looked vaguely familiar, and when she’d held it close, she found that it smelled of the Fairy King’s Forest, even after being washed.

So now Zinnia was sitting in bed, holding that same cloak tightly in her grip, looking out from the window on the peaceful town below. She felt drastically better today, and wished she could stretch her legs, but she didn’t plan on going against the doctor’s orders to stay in bed until he pronounced her better. Though it was getting quite boring, and the food was bland. Also, she rarely got to speak to anyone. Zephyr was still in her shadow, but she couldn’t speak to him when others were around, and he was napping half the time that people weren’t around. Why did fox pups have to sleep so much, anyway?

A sudden crashing sound from downstairs made Zinnia jump and almost fall out of bed. She almost stood, but stopped herself at the last minute. While the crash had only lasted a moment, shuffling sounds still emanated from the lower floor, and she could hear what sounded like somebody trying to quietly make their way upstairs. They weren’t very good at being quiet; the stairs were creaking with every other step.

A young boy burst into the room, not even glancing in Zinnia’s direction, and pushed the door to a crack before peering out of the small gap, back the way he’d come. “Did they follow me…?” he whispered, but in the near-silent room, it was like thunder.

“Uhhh… Hello?” Zinnia was pretty sure this boy wasn’t supposed to be up here. “Who’re you?”

He jumped in fright, turning to face the fairy girl and quickly closing the door in the process. His long, dirty-blond hair was obscuring his vision, so he pushed it aside in annoyance, revealing deep blue eyes filled with surprise. “W-who are you? What are you doing here?”

Giggles bubbled up from the fairy, and she smiled. “I’m pretty sure I asked you first. But I’m Zinnia. I’m Zeke-sensei’s patient.”

“Zinnia-chan…?” He paused, thoughtful, before a giant grin swallowed half his face. “I’m Kay! Nice to meet you.” He crossed the room and sat at the foot of her bed. “What’s wrong with you?”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “I-I don’t remember exactly. I just know that I woke up here and was really hurt right here.” She placed a hand over a spot just above her heart. “I think it’s mostly better now, though.”

Kay didn’t seem too worried, and was bouncing lightly on the edge of the bed. “Must’ve been painful. Hey, how old are you?”

“Hmm…” Zinnia realized that he wouldn’t believe her real age. “Older than you. How old do you think I am?”

“Eh? How do you know you’re older than me if you don’t know my age? We can’t be that far apart. You look like you’re thirteen at most.” He looked slightly annoyed by her assuming she was older, but not too upset.

“Then, let’s just say that I’m thirteen then,” even though I’m much older than that, she added silently. “How old are you?”

He stood from the bed and lifted his chin proudly. “I just turned eleven last week!”

Zinnia snickered, but quickly stopped herself, instead asking him a question. “So, what’s an eleven year old kid doing hiding out in a doctor’s house? Sounds like you broke plenty of stuff downstairs, too.”

“I’m not hiding!” But his red face said it all. “I’m just… Okay… I’m hiding. But I didn’t do anything wrong!” He pulled what appeared to be a little wooden figure of a dragon out of his pocket. “Some of the older kids in the village stole this from my friend, and I stole it back. But… They saw me, and I tried to escape. When they lost sight of me, I hid in the nearest house.”

Zinnia waited for him to go on, but he appeared to be finished. “...and the crashing from downstairs?”

He looked away in embarrassment. “I tripped…”

“Eh-” Zinnia burst out laughing. “Oh brave Kay-kun! Saving his friend’s toy, but destroying the town’s medicine in the process!”

“H-hey! Stop it!” But he couldn’t help but join in with her laughter.

Once the laughter had died down, Zinnia glanced outside, where it was getting dark. “Shouldn’t you be heading home soon? I’m sure that if those kids that were after you haven’t come yet, they aren’t going to. You weren’t very quiet, after all.”

He scratched the back of his head, giving her a closed-eyed smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He stood up and headed towards the door before stopping and turning back. “Hey, Zinnia-chan…?”

“Yes, Kay-kun?”

“When you get better and get out of here, will you come and play with me?” He had glanced away in the middle of saying this.

Zinnia didn’t say anything for a moment, surprised at the request. Barely anyone had asked to play with her back in the Fairy King’s Forest; she’d always been the one asking. But then she smiled. “Of course!”

“Yay!” He stepped through the door, but stopped again on the other side of the threshold and tossed his head over his shoulder. “See you then!” And he was gone. Only the sound of creaking stairs followed him, then there was silence.

Zinnia watched the silly boy as he skipped away down the street outside. Soon enough, he turned a corner and was out of sight.

A quiet yawn echoed in Zinnia’s head. Hmmm? Did I miss anything? The small fox shade that was Zephyranthes jumped out of the fairy’s shadow and looked around the room, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. There’s an unfamiliar scent.

Zinnia grinned as she patted him between the ears. “I made a friend.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 42: Against Their Wishes

“An Albion? What’s that?” I asked Zephyr. While I knew time was of the essence, I needed to know what that thing was if it was going to be dealt with.

No time  to explain, he told me hurriedly, gesturing in the direction that most people were moving. We have to get out of here. Even with your training from Harlequin-sama, you’re no match for that thing. He started butting his head against my leg, trying to get me to move.

However, no matter how much he pushed, I was stuck in place, my eyes locked on the giant, pure white monster that towered over its surroundings. “What about the townspeople? What about the Sacred Tree? We just got it so that the forest could grow better…”

Not our problem! Zephyr’s pushing became more frantic; he was leaning all his weight against my legs, almost causing me to fall over.

“Zephyr-kun is right, Zinnia.” Helbram had grabbed my hand. He was worriedly looking at the destruction that was growing closer by the moment. The Albion, tall and thin like a child’s rope doll, was slowly walking closer, not seeming to notice the branches that were being torn off the giant tree as it moved. “Delphi-san will take care of it and make sure everyone is safe. This isn’t the main Sacred Tree, so it will be fine even if it gets destroyed. All the fairies here can-”

“No!” Tears were streaming from my eyes. “I may have only been here for a bit of time, but this place is important! Akshur is home to so many people - fairies, elves, and humans. There’s nowhere else in the world like it! There are good people here. People who have lived here for generations. I can’t just let it be destroyed!”

“That may be so, Zinnia, but-” Helbram started, but his eyes widened at the sight before us.

Just then, what appeared to be a giant monster formed of vines and branches seemed to materialize out of thin air and started trying to push the Albion back. It was swiping whip-like arms at the beast, causing it to stagger slightly. Only, I noticed that none of its attacks were leaving any physical marks on the Albion. It wasn’t breaking any of the branches above or leaving any destruction underneath it.

A splash of blue flashed through the branches far above our heads, not far from the scene of the fight, signalling Delphi’s arrival. The new monster must have been one of his illusions, but that meant that it wouldn’t be able to actually fight back. It wouldn’t be long before the illusion was shattered, leaving Akshur defenseless.

“We have to help Delphi. We can’t leave him to fight this alone!” I pleaded with my friends. How could they be so heartless as to leave the innocent fairy to fight that thing? Sure, we probably wouldn’t be able to defeat it, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying. It should only push us to fight all the harder - to fight for what needed to be saved.

I let out a deep breath, allowing my wings to reappear, before looking imploringly between the green fairy and the fox shade. “I’m going to fight, whether you want me to or not.” Forcing myself not to hesitate, not to change my mind, I pulled my hand from Helbram’s grip and flew into the air, toward the creature that could surely kill me with a tiny flick. I could hear Helbram and Zephyr calling out behind me, but I pushed the noises aside, focusing on what was in front of me. Helbram’s presence loomed behind me as he tried to follow, but I flew faster, widening the gap between us. Soon enough, it tapered of, so that I was barely aware of his presence at all.

The only thing left for me was the fight between the two monsters in front of my eyes. Delphi’s illusion was becoming less effective by the second, and for a moment I even thought I saw the Sacred Tree’s leaves flash pink, as though the fairy was losing strength over his illusions. He wouldn’t last much longer. It was now or never. 

I threw my cloak - which I’d been gripping tightly in my fist since leaving the bakery - in front of my, causing it to flare out as the wind caught it. “Dyrnwyn First Form: Dyrnwyn!” In a flash of light, it transformed into its spear form. I had completely forgotten that it had lost one of its crescent-shaped blades after I’d saved Helbram, so I was shocked for a moment at the sight of it only having one blade, but I quickly shook it off. Now was not the time to think about that.

With a flick of my fingers, I sent the spear at the Albion, focusing around the face, then, when that didn’t show any results, round the legs in an attempt to topple it. Still, nothing happened. From my position a good distance away from the beast, I could just barely see scratches on its surface. As though finally taking notice of a fly buzzing around it, the Albion raised one of its long arms, slowly swinging it behind it, before swiping towards me and the town behind me.

“Gah!!” I flew backwards, pain shooting throughout my body. Pure destruction lay behind and around me, and I was half-buried in rubble. I could feel blood dripping down my face, and the hair at the edge of my vision was a darker red than I knew it should be. Pushing myself back up through the pain, I flew back into the air. I no longer knew where Helbram and Zephyr were, but I hoped they had gotten to safety.

I lifted my hand again, summoning my spirit spear to me, before flicking my wrist. “Dyrnwyn Third Form: Spider Silk. ” It transformed immediately into an abundantly long, yet hair-thin length of thread. Before the Albion could raise an arm again, I flung the thread towards it, making it wrap around the gargantuan monster. Even with how long the spider silk was, it only managed to wrap around the Albion’s middle twice. I could feel the resistance against Dyrnwyn, so I closed my hand into a fist, tightening the string as far as it would go, but there was barely any visual difference made by this. This wouldn’t hold for long. But, a second was all I needed for my planned attack. “ Dyrnwyn Eighth Form: Starflower!” 

The threads shifted into vines, on which giant, beautiful, white flowers bloomed. Before the Albion could react, though, the flowers exploded as one, causing a cloud of smoke to form. Did it do it? But of course, that would have been too easy. Once the smoke cleared, I could see that, while damage had been done to the Albion’s torso, it was still standing there. With an imperceptible shift of its head, it faced me, opened its mouth, and shot some kind of attack at me. It was fast enough that I couldn’t tell what it was, nor could I dodge it. So for the second time, I was knocked back, only this time I didn’t fall all the way to the ground, catching myself with a frantic flap of my wings.

With each hit, I could feel my energy draining, and my will to fight fading. I only now noticed that Delphi’s illusion was long gone. The leaves of the Sacred Tree were their original shade of light pink. He was out of the fight. I summoned Dyrnwyn back to me, as it had already torn from the Albion’s body and was lying in a heap of scorched vines on the ground, and allowed it to revert to its spear form. My attacks barely seemed to be having any effect. What was I to do? If only the Sins were here; they could defeat this thing with ease, I was sure. They’d be able to defeat this thing, while I couldn’t do anything…

I could feel a shadow falling over my emotions, causing a coldness to sweep through me. It felt similar to that time back during the fighting festival, when I’d been forced to relive my own helplessness. It felt awful… but, it gave me an idea, causing me to perk up and push the unpleasantness away. If I can just-

“Zinnia, there you are!” Helbram rushed to my side. It had seemed like he had appeared out of nowhere, but that had probably been due to my being deep in my own thoughts working on an idea. “We have to get out of here now . The other fairies are helping to evacuate the townsfolk. Delphi-san has let down his illusion, so now the people are able to leave the field. Now might be our only chance to get away safely.” He kept shooting glances at the Albion, which was in the middle of opening its mouth for another shot at the town.

I ignored Helbram’s pleas for me to leave, instead focusing a serious gaze on him. “Helbram, you’ll be my friend no matter what, right?”

He gave me a confused look. “Yes, of course! Why are you asking that right now? We have to go .”

“Even if you find out something about me I’ve never told you?” I urged. “Something terrible?”

Now he stopped trying to get me to move, instead looking at me with surprise in his eyes. “Zinnia, no matter what, we’re always going to be friends. I don’t care what I find out about you; it won’t change how I feel.”

“Promise?” It felt just like all those years ago, back when I’d made him promise to take me on an adventure. Only, that was just before he’d disappeared for 700 years.

“Promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” I threw the words over my shoulder as I flew away from him, back towards the Albion. He reached for me, trying to snag my wrist, but I was already gone.

Now it was time for my plan. Hopefully it went well. “Focus, focus,” I whispered under my breath. I tried to grasp that feeling from earlier, that feeling I’d felt at the fighting festival, that feeling that I felt all those years ago when I lost Kay. Darkness flooded my thoughts, but I pushed past it, allowing it to only edge my consciousness. It was overwhelming. It felt like I was drowning, and the only thing that kept me afloat was a sinking raft. The darkness, which I could now feel physically on my skin, inching across my arms, threatened to swallow me.

“Woah, look at that one!” For some reason, Helbram’s goofy smile from that night we were watching fireworks above the Boar’s Hat flashed through my mind.

I guess that you’ve gotten too used to me waking you up every day. Zephyr’s amused eyes glimmered in my memory.

“They’re wings you should be proud of, Zinnia-san.” Harlequin’s tiny smile appeared for a brief moment.

Little happy memories flashed through my mind, one after another, piling on top of each other, until the dark feeling was almost completely gone. But, as though fighting back, the shadow quickly resurfaced, and I began to lose hope of succeeding in my fight against it.

“I was right.” Huh? This wasn’t a memory. I blinked open my eyes to find myself in an open field, flowers swaying in the breeze around me. I turned in the direction that the voice had come from, finding a familiar set of blue eyes smiling at me. “Your wings really are the most beautiful.”

“Kay?” I reached towards him, but, as quickly as it had appeared, the vision vanished, melting away to be replaced by the sight of the invading Albion. In the moment that it vanished, I also noticed that the darkness I had been trying to push down had vanished with it. Well, mostly. There was still a light tug from it in the back of my mind, but as long as my thoughts didn’t linger on it, it appeared that the feeling would remain dormant.

Had it worked? I wasn’t sure. I looked down to my arms, to find that thin threads of darkness ran along them, accumulating on my hands to form tiny claws on my fingertips. They looked scarily like Fausse-onee-sama’s hands, but I tried to push that memory aside. I glanced over my shoulder in curiosity, risking a look at my wings. They were completely covered in shadow, and looked bigger than before, with longer, more elegant ends. “Huh.” I caught sight of one more thing that I could’ve done without. As yet another reminder of my elder half-sister, I saw that I now had a thin pointed tail made of darkness. I tried to make it go away, but it seemed that I didn’t have enough control yet to do that.

Shaking my head, I turned back to the Albion. I could explore this more later. What was important now was the fight in front of me. If my hypothesis was correct, I should be stronger in my current state - hopefully strong enough to defeat this thing. But the question was, how? I fought with my spear. How could my body being strengthened help me fight with my spirit spear? Unless...

I called my spear back once more, allowing it to hover next to me, before resting my hand on it. Closing my eyes and focusing as best I could, I tried to get the darkness to move from my hand onto the spear. After what felt like an eternity, (during which I couldn’t help but notice each and every scream and cry for help coming from the town below) I became aware of my arm being void of the dark matter that had previously covered it. I opened my eyes again. Dyrnwyn was now edged in the darkness that still covered one of my arms. It wasn’t completely covered, as I had hoped, but it would have to do.

As if on queue, the Albion lifted another arm, ready to swing it like a scythe cutting wheat. Only, this time it was aimed at the Sacred Tree itself. Widening my eyes, I forced Dyrnwyn back into its Spider Silk form and wrapped it around the Albion’s legs, causing its swing to falter. I pulled on the pitch-black string tight, yanking it so that the Albion was thrown off balance and its arm to go too high. Instead of cutting the gargantuan tree in half, only some of the upper branches were trimmed off. Still, those branches fell down to the ground, crushing yet more houses and causing more sounds of agony to erupt. I had to hurry this up, before there were too many more casualties.

“Dyrnwyn Second Form: Guardian, ” I murmured the command, forcing the spear into its hawk-like form. Only now the marbled darkness covering it made it look more like a crow or a raven. The bird-like weapon flew up at the Albion’s face, bashing into the monster with all its might. This only caused a slight flinch, but something caught my eye. Wherever Dyrnwyn was clawing the Albion, dark gashes were left behind, swiftly melting away a part of the beast before fading. Looking back at where Dyrnwyn had been wrapped around the Albion’s legs, I noticed a tracking of where it had dug into the surface. Does the darkness give Dyrnwyn a corrosive effect? That was what it looked like. If that was so, then perhaps… “ Dyrnwyn Fourth Form: Increase. ” About a hundred small, crescent-shaped blades seemed to explode out from where Dyrnwyn’s Guardian had been, each one with just a bit of darkness running along the blade. With a flick of my hand and a twitch of my fingers, I shot them all at the center of the Albion’s chest, causing its body to look like a pincushion. After making sure that each blade was fully lodged into place, I opened my hand towards the Albion. “ Dyrnwyn Eighth Form: Starflower.”

Each blade that had been stuck into the beast bloomed into a dark flower before promptly exploding. This time, however, there was more of an affect. A large hole had been taken out of the Albion’s chest, and it was swiftly melting away even further, so that I could now see straight through to the other side. It only took a moment for the corrosion to stop, but the damage had been enough.

Slowly, ever so excruciatingly slowly, the Albion fell backwards, landing in a cloud of dust and pollen in the field that surrounded the damaged Sacred Tree. I waited a heartbeat, then another, to see if it would get back up, but it did not rise.

I smiled. “I did-”

I was falling. Air was rushing past my wings, my hair flying in my face. In my exhaustion, I couldn’t even find the strength to catch myself. The ground was rushing closer and closer. Was this really how I would go out? I manage to defeat an Albion, save a town, and grasp just a little of my demon powers, only to die from a fall? What an awful way to go. Everyone would probably laugh at a fairy falling to her death when I reached Necropolis.

Any second now. Any second and I was sure to feel the sudden impact of hitting the earth and rubble beneath me.

But the impact never came.

I forced my eyes open, and slowly my hearing returned. I hadn’t even realized it was gone.

“Zinnia!” Helbram was looking at me worriedly. From his stance, I guessed he had managed to catch me with levitation. Was that fear in his eyes? That made sense, he was probably scared, now that he saw that I wasn’t really a fairy - now that he saw that I was a half-breed not fit for either species.

I could still feel darkness along the edges of my face and my arm. It was slowly receding, but, sure enough, it was still there, plain as day for Helbram to see. I didn’t want him to see me this way, but it was far too late now. 

I let out a deep breath and felt the last of the darkness dissipate, before forcing myself to fly on my own once more. I couldn’t bring myself to look Helbram in the eyes. “Helbram, I-I’m sorry… I never told you-”

Suddenly, Helbram’s warm arms enveloped me. I didn’t know what to do, so I froze. “I knew,” he whispered. Then, louder. “I’ve known for a long time.” He pulled back so that we could look each other in the eye, and I saw sadness in his smiling eyes. “You aren’t as sneaky as you think, Zinnia. Do you know just how often you were worrying about me finding out? You really need to stop forgetting that I can read hearts.” He hugged me once again, and this time I leaned into it.

After a moment of that silence, I had to break it. “You really knew?” I whispered. “That I’m-”

“Half demon?” I could feel his nod. He then pulled away again and started looking me up and down, scanning my whole body. “Zinnia, how badly are you hurt?” The worried tone had returned to his voice, and I realized that the fear in his eyes a moment ago wasn’t fear of me, but fear for me.

“I think… pretty badly.” Actually, I was starting to get dizzy and nauseous, probably from blood loss. The wounds I had received from getting flung into the rubble that first time were still bleeding. “Actually, make that really badly.” I was covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises all over, and I wouldn’t be surprised if half my rib cage was broken, with how it was hurting.

Helbram nodded, grabbing hold of my hand. “Let’s find you a doctor. Perhaps there are even some fairies with healing magic here.” He continued on about what we should do to make sure I didn’t lose any more blood, and how we would find someone to help and so on and so forth. It had started to fade out of my perception, turning into a dull drone in the back of my head. The only thing that I could focus my attention on was the fox shade on the ground watching the fairies above him with an unreadable expression.

Chapter Text

Chapter 43: Follow the Fox

“Are you sure, Zinnia?” Delphi was asking me for about the hundredth time. “You know you can stay here for as long as you want. Even with what happened the other day, it’s far safer here than where you’re going.”

It had been a few days since the incident with the Albion. I had managed to get away with no broken bones, and was somewhat healed by now, but I got off easy compared to the rest of Akshur. About half the town was destroyed, either blasted by the Albion or crushed by falling branches. Many people - both fairies and elves - had died during the fight. I’d even heard that Harlow had died, leaving Elrick and Ella even more orphaned than before, and a couple of fairies had decided to watch over them. Helbram had helped with rebuilding the town while I recovered, but I had decided that it was about time we left. I would go back to the Sins and see if I could find out what was going on; surely they would know. 

Monsters like that Albion don’t just start attacking for no reason. In fact, Zephyr had told me how Albions were golems made by demons to fight in wars. They should have disappeared long ago. Something was definitely up.

“Thank you, Delphi.” I dipped my head to him. Even if he wasn’t a Fairy King, and even if his personality was a bit childish most of the time, I still respected him greatly. “I appreciate the offer, but Zephyr and I have been here long enough. We really should get going. There’s also something that I want to ask Meliodas about.”

“Even though you’re injured?” he asked me worriedly, eyeing the bandages that still wrapped my arms and legs.

“She’ll be fine!” Helbram told the blue fairy. His eyes, which also held a trace of worry, shined gold in the sunlight. Since we were out at the edge of the field that marked the border of Akshur, it was now easy to see the complexion difference between the two fairies. Delphi was quite pale due to so much time spent in the shade, while Helbram had more of a far healthier color to his cheeks. It was so weird seeing the differences things like that can make. The fairies I’d met here seemed less care-free than what I’d heard the ones from the main Forest were like. So many slight differences.

Wait. Both of the other fairies were looking at me. They’d probably heard what I’d been thinking about. Why did my mind have to wander at the most random of times?

With an amused furrow of Helbram’s brow, he shook his head and turned back to the guardian fairy. “Anyway, we shouldn’t take too long to find the Seven Deadly Sins - not with Zephyr-kun guiding us. Until then, I can keep Zinnia safe.” He gave Delphi a closed-eyed smile. “Zinnia may have stolen the spotlight during the fight with the Albion, but I’m pretty strong, myself.”

Delphi smiled back, revealing his teeth with a small laugh. “I’m sure you are! I’ve actually heard a lot about you from Zinnia. I can tell that she thinks highly of you.” He shot me an amused look. I didn’t remember telling him about Helbram at all, unless… “She was constantly thinking about you: wondering how you were and wishing you were here. There was more than one time that she would spend hours on end wondering how you felt-”

“Ahh, Delphi! Please stop!” My face was bright red. I had assumed that Delphi hadn’t been nearby during those times. Why is Delphi doing this to me?  

The teasing light in his eyes sparkled mischievously, but he pressed his lips together and didn’t say any more.

I turned to Helbram and saw that his eyes had widened and his eartips were more pink than normal, but he was trying to not show it. Instead, he had decided to inspect the forest that edged the field, where we would soon be heading.

Come on, you two. Zephyr hopped out of my shadow with a sigh. We’re losing daylight. If we can’t use my shadows because of Zinnia’s injuries, then I’d at least like to travel as far as we can. I can already tell that they’re nowhere nearby, so we have a long ways to go.

“”Yeah, you’re right, Zephyr.” I nodded at the fox, snapping out of my embarrassment. “We should get going.” Waving at Delphi, I turned to go, only to immediately stop as he rushed forward and hug me.

“I’m serious! Come back anytime you want! And please be careful out there.” His violet eyes were rounded in concern. “I have a bad feeling about everything going on right now.”

I hugged him back and released him, giving him a weak smile as I stepped away. So I wasn’t the only one with a bad feeling. “Of course, Delphi. Thank you so much. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for the hospitality you’ve shown me and Zephyr while we were here.” And with a dip of my head, I turned around and left the field, heading into the forest and away from Akshur.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“So what was it like, going all demon-y back there, anyway?” Helbram asked as we steadily flew through the forest, Zephyr leading the way. “You looked like you were about to lose it worse than I did when I tried to kill Harlequin.” At the moment, Helbram was floating along on his side, propping his head on his elbow as he looked at me. I was surprised he hadn’t run into any trees yet. I was in the more practical flying position of leaning slightly forward and facing ahead.

“I don’t know… I guess it was overwhelming?” I pondered the question. I hadn’t really thought about it since it had happened. “At first it was like I was drowning in all my negative emotions and worries, but then…”

“Then?” Helbram prompted when I had been silent for a moment. I even noticed Zephyr glance back from his place in front of us.

“Then I thought of all the wonderful things I’d been through. I thought of you, and Zephyr, and Harlequin, Meliodas, and the other Sins. I thought of times I hadn’t even realized I remembered. And then... Kay…”

“That guy that died super long ago?” Helbram perked up in surprise. “What about him?”

“He just… I don’t know… He just kind of appeared. It felt more real than the memories that I’d been going through, and it was something that never happened while he was alive. It was like he was actually speaking to me then and there. But when I tried to speak back, he vanished.”

Helbram gave me a thoughtful look. “Maybe he was speaking to you. Sometimes spirits can do that, especially in places of importance to them. Is Akshur near where he died?”

I glanced down, but had to look back up as I almost flew into a tree. “Akshur is exactly where Kay died. It’s built right on top of Kay’s hometown, Voryn.” I shot my gaze to the other fairy, seeing him twist to float more upright.

“Then it’s likely that it was him. He might have been trying to help you out when you needed it.” He looked to the fox shade that was racing ahead of us. “Did he say anything?”

I gave Helbram a sad smile. “He said that my wings were beautiful. The last thing he said to me before he died was that he’d wanted to live long enough to see my wings.”

Helbram smiled back at me. “He sounds like a good guy.”

“He was.”

After that, we lapsed into silence. We broke out of the forest into a large field, only to once again enter a forest. The whole way, Zephyr was sniffing the air and glancing back and forth. To the untrained eye, he would appear lost. But I knew better. He was following my connection to one of the Sins - he hadn’t told me which one - in order to lead us to them. Every once in a while he would turn abruptly and Helbram and I would nearly overshoot him, having to suddenly stop mid-air in order to not lose the dark fox.

Once we had travelled a few hours, Helbram broke the silence once again. “You know you weren’t the only one fighting the Albion, right?”

“What?” The sudden words after so long had surprised me, and I didn’t understand what he said for a moment.

“The Albion in Akshur. There were a bunch of fairies fighting it besides you. Even I was fighting, which is why I didn't have time to stop you and pull you away.” He chuckled and grinned at me. “You didn’t really think you fought off that monster single-handedly, did you?”

I stared at him blankly.

“You did think you killed it by yourself!” He broke down laughing, nearly slowing to a stop before speeding up to make sure Zephyr didn’t leave us behind. “There were a ton of fairies and even some elves helping to take it down and stopping it from moving any closer to the tree. A lot of people were chipping away at it from behind, which is probably what made your final attack so effective. You nearly hit some people!” He was dying of laughter, and my face was turning crimson in embarrassment. “Wow, you really lose sight of your surroundings when you’re fighting, don’t you?”

I just looked away from him, scratching my neck and giving a quiet laugh. “I guess you’re right. It makes sense that I would never have been able to beat that thing myself.”

We’re there. Zephyr’s voice broke into the conversation, and I looked ahead to see that he had paused in his tracks. I slowed to a stop beside him, setting my feet on the ground, and Helbram did the same.

It was only now that I fully noticed that we weren’t in the forest anymore; I had been so surprised and embarrassed by what Helbram had said that I hadn’t even realized when the scenery had changed. Now we were in an open, rocky field at the base of a hill. Many small stacks of stones littered the area, and there were a few places where one stone was deliberately placed on top of two other ones, forming what appeared to be a doorway beneath. Wind whipped through the grass, causing waves of color to ripple across the field. While it was a beautiful sight, it was also blowing my hair into my face and causing my cloak to flap violently behind me.

I pushed my hair out of the way and tucked it behind my ear before turning questioningly to Zephyr. “There’s nothing here. Where are they?” I looked around as though the giant boar and its hat-like tavern would appear out of thin air, however, the place was just as empty and rock-strewn as before.

Helbram was looking around in confusion as well, holding his hands above his eyes to block out excess sunlight. “No taverns, giants, humans, or fairies in sight.” Then he smirked at me. “Besides us, of course.”

This isn’t right… Zephyr’s brow was furrowed. They should be right around here. Right over… He padded forward, directly towards one of the stone archways. Sniffing around the base of it, he walked in between the stones, only to disappear.

“Zephyr!?” Jolting in surprise, I rushed after the fox, and I could sense more than see Helbram doing the same.

As soon as I passed between the pillars, the field changed around me. A lake lined either side of a thin land bridge leading to an island containing two stone structures. On the right of the island was a stone spire, and on the left stood a mound that was shaped more like a giant stone tree stump than anything else. I could see from here that there appeared to be a crack in the side of it, probably leading to some caves or rooms. Around the lake the earth rose up, forming a bowl shape, as though something unimaginably huge had scooped a handful of the land away.

But it was none of these things that I was focused on.

Directly in front of me stood the Seven Deadly Sins. Well- some of them. Meliodas, Harlequin, Gowther, and Merlin were all facing away from me, talking to someone I couldn’t see. Elizabeth stood at their side, along with a couple others that I vaguely remembered someone pointing out to me: Slader and King Arthur. Gowther and Arthur were closer to me on the path, while all the others were about halfway along the bridge, where it widened out into a platform. What an odd assortment of people.

Found them. Zephyr told me with a triumphant glint in my eye from only a few feet in front of me. He was sitting with his nose in the air and his tail wrapped around his paws, giving off a very satisfied air.

As soon as he spoke the words, both Meliodas and Harlequin glanced back. I managed to catch sight of the Captain pulling his hand away from a young girl that was standing in front of him, making me curious as to what was going on, but all thoughts of that vanished from my mind as he smiled.

“Yo, Zinnia, Zephyr-kun! I was wondering when you guys would show up!” He waved casually like I hadn’t just travelled miles to find everyone. Now that he had turned, I could see that the three people I didn’t know - the brunette girl he had pulled away from along with a blond girl and someone that I couldn’t tell if he was a man or a boy due to his conflicting large size and young expression - didn’t seem surprised in the slightest by my appearance.

“Helbram!” Harlequin seemed happy to see his friend as he flew around Arthur and Gowther (who were now looking at us with varying expressions of curiosity) to approach us. However, as he approached, he hesitated when he set his eyes on me. An indescribable emotion flashed through his eyes before he seemingly pushed whatever it was away and turned back to Helbram. “It’s good to see you again!” I suspected that even after his time with Helbram while I was gone, he still wanted time to catch up with his old friend that had been gone for so long. “But we don’t have time to catch up right now; Diane’s missing.”

“What? How?” I spluttered as Helbram gave the Fairy King a concerned look. It crossed my mind that Helbram had been giving him that same look since Harlequin had hesitated a moment ago, as though he’d heard something unpleasant from Harlequin’s heart, but I brushed it off. He had probably been worrying about Diane even then. 

Helbram opened his mouth to speak, but the blond girl - who I now noticed was gripping Hawk in one arm - nodded to me and turned back to the Sins with a confident smile before speaking up. “We know very well why you’ve come to the Holy Land!”

I pulled a confused face, turning to the closest person that I thought might have answers. “Harlequin, what’s the Holy Land? And why are we here?”

He didn’t answer though, instead opting to fly back to the rest of the group. Why did he ignore me? But when I glanced at Helbram for answers, the other fairy just had the same concerned expression as before.

Chapter Text

Chapter 44: Something Wrong

The brunette girl - Zaneri, I was told - had taken Meliodas and Elizabeth off to the spire on the right. Everyone else, including me, Zephyr, and Helbram, followed Jenna and Theo to what Jenna called the Cave of Training. This was the other structure that I had spotted on our way in, and was apparently where druid warriors trained.

“Hey, Jenna,” Harlequin started, floating towards the front of the group. “What are you taking us to a place like this for?”

That was a good question, were it not a little obvious in its answer. After all, she had already said that this was where druids trained, so if these people were helping us and one was taking us to a training ground, then-

“To train, obviously!!” she snapped. “You just can’t figure anything out, can you.”

Yeah, that had been exactly as I had been expecting.

Zephyr trotted at my side, glancing up at me. I hope no one expects you to participate. He murmured. You’re in no condition; you’re still hurt from the albion.

“He’s right, you know.” Helbram spoke from my other side. He glanced anxiously at Harlequin. “I’m also a little worried about Harlequin. He seems a little off right now. You shouldn’t go in there with him.”

“But I can’t just sit around and do nothing while everyone else is training and getting stronger!” My wings flickered in frustration. In my annoyance, I didn’t notice that the group had stopped, and bumped into Harlequin. In response, he flinched away from me violently, sending a glare my way, before glancing at Helbram and quickly turning away. 

Okay, maybe Helbram is right… I glanced at the green fairy, who was now nodding at me. But what did I do to get him to act like this? I haven’t even been with the Sins for quite awhile! Helbram shrugged, and I quickly made a point to stop this line of thinking. Him responding to my thoughts was just too weird. I turned my attention back to the rest of the group.

“-there’s already a group inside.” Jenna was saying from where she had turned around near the entrance to the training grounds. She smiled, both hands on her hips as she leaned forwards. “Apparently they know you.”

“Maybe it’s Ban?” Hawk offered.

Harlequin shook his head, all signs of being upset with me gone. “Well, she said ‘a group,’ so maybe Guila and Jericho…?”

It was in that moment that a form began to appear in the entrance, walking out while holding what appeared to be a sturdy stick in one hand. “Sorry to disappoint you…” The deep voice was unmistakable.

I froze, and I could sense Helbram going rigid next to me. A low growl sounded in Zephyr’s throat as he revealed his fangs.

“Y…”

“You’re…”

Jenna seemed to be the only one relaxed. “Oh, out already, Hendy?”

That seemed to snap everyone out of their daze. Harlequin was the first to move, instantly increasing his spirit spear and directing an attack towards the ex-demon. “Hendrickson!!! So you’re still alive!?!”

But how could he be alive? The Sins had told me that he was dead - slain by Meliodas with the help of everyone else. So how could he be here, of all places? What would Helbram think? This was the man who had resurrected him, amplified his hatred of humans with his magic, and forced him to do his bidding and to nearly kill his best friend. This was the man who had forced so much suffering on a fairy that had already suffered enough for a lifetime.

I glanced over at my friend, whose eyes had widened at the sight of Hendrickson. The emotions I saw there were mixed: anger, hatred, fear, terror, and a mixture of countless negative emotions. Helbram still hadn’t even moved, though, when Hendrickson collapsed, face-first, to the ground. 

Jenna, standing just ahead of Harlequin, held up a hand. “Hold on, King. I understand that you have reasons for holding a grudge against this lad, but he’s returned to normal now. Would you hold back your rage, for my sake?” When King stopped, she turned back to the unconscious former commander of the Holy Knights with a shake of her head. “My,my… What a hopeless lad…”

“Look!” Slader’s shout snatched my attention from Hendrickson. “There’s something else near the entrance! A weird lump of black mass… Tattered old rags?”

Tattered old rags…? Why would those be in a place like this?

Hawk, ever the one to snatch an opportunity, ran toward the mass, mouth agape. “No!! This is the smell of something burnt, crispy, and delicious!! It’s probably druids’ leftovers!!”

“That’s impossible.” Harlequin sweatdropped, giving the pig a doubtful look.

Hawk, nonetheless, advanced, sniffing whatever was on the ground. “...Huh? Thi… This isn’t leftovers… or old rags!! The three tattered rags!!!”

That… didn’t explain what it was on the ground in the slightest. Everyone approached, though I noted that Helbram was hanging back, his gaze still lingering on the prone form of Hendrickson. I gave him a worried glance, but continued with the group; we would talk about this later.

It appeared that the “three tattered rags” were in fact Howzer, Gilthunder, and Griamore. They were just as exhausted as Hendrickson, if not moreso, judging by the fact that they hadn’t even made it out of the mouth of the cave. With a gasp, Gilthunder opened his eyes, and Howzer groaned as though just being woken up.

Gilthunder pushed himself into a sitting position. “Owww… I thought we were in the Cave of Training just a second ago…” He first looked at Jenna, but his eyes wandered to the group standing behind her and he rubbed his head. “Oh…? When did you all get to Istar?”

This was when I noticed that Helbram still had yet to move from his spot. While I had moved forward with the group to investigate, the green fairy hadn’t moved an inch since spotting Hendrickson.I had expected him to follow, even if he had lingered for a moment.  In fact, he wasn’t the only one that had remained. Harlequin was still facing down the man, his back hunched with barely repressed rage. Clenching his hands, Harlequin reprimanded the former Great Holy Knight. “Hendrickson, I don’t care what reasons you had, I will never forgive you!! Especially after what you did to Helbram!!” He gestured to the other fairy, who had begun to sweat.

Hendrickson’s voice was full of regret when he responded. “...No words I say to you can absolve what I’ve done, and I will not defend my actions…” His head was tilted downward, his eyes close. Now, though, he glanced up to look the Fairy King in the eye. Only… his gaze landed on Helbram, and he lagged in his speech. “I will accept… my due punishment… when it… comes…….. How?” The last word was obviously directed at Helbram. “How are you alive? My magic stopped working. You should be dead.” He held a hand to his chin in thought, and his words came slowly. “Could this be why it didn’t work when I tried to bring you back again…?”

Zephyr, standing at my side, pawed at his nose with a noise that was halfway between a growl and a whimper, but it was just at that moment that Helbram snapped out of his shock, so I hardly noticed Zephyr’s movement. Helbram quivered with rage, and his lips twitched up into a smile ominously similar to the one I’d seen him wearing when I had first encountered him fighting Harlequin. “You tried to bring me back… again?! But of course you would. You’re a despicable human, after all!! You just take and you take until the one you’re taking from has nothing left to give - and then you take some more. That’s all you greedy humans know how to do!”

It was like the world had frozen. I had thought that he had gotten better. Merlin had said he would be better. Had she been wrong? Or was the issue just not fully fixed? Perhaps it was because it was Hendrickson himself. But then, why would Helbram say it was all humans ? Had meeting Hendrickson reversed his progress? Would he go back to trying to murder every human he saw? Starting with the humans behind me? I could hear that the others had gone silent; they were probably watching Helbram and Hendrickson to see how this played out.

I clutched my shirt above my heart. If this was happening - if Helbram was turning back into the heartless murderer he had been, then I would fulfil my side of the deal. I would take down my friend with my own hand or - failing that - end my own life. It wouldn’t be pleasant, and I was certain that Zephyr would try to stop me, but if it was necessary-

Helbram twitched his wings, and I noticed that his eyes flicked toward me momentarily, a look of shock and perhaps even betrayal in them. He drooped slightly, but he didn’t seem to be so focused on Hendrickson anymore. “Something’s wrong with me…? Merlin-san told me there were slight issues, but that I was fine now...” While the words sounded like a question, I was almost certain he knew the answer. He was only confirming it.

“Yes. I- I’m so sorry, Helbram…” The tears in my eyes were obscuring my view, but I kept going. “I was hoping that perhaps… you would get better before you noticed. You seemed so much better back in Akshur! You acted completely normal with the people there. You even said you were fine.”

He gave a small, sad, disappointed smile. “But… those weren’t humans , were they? They were elves. Delphi told me so. It’s humans I have a problem with, right ? This is what you’ve been hiding from me, isn’t it? That if I go crazy, you’ll kill me - or worse - kill yourself?”

“I can’t help it!” I cried the words. “It was either that or let you die. I didn’t want you to die - not again! It’s my fault! I screwed up! If I just knew more about my spirit spear, maybe I could have done it better. Maybe I could have made it to where your life didn’t have to be tied to mine. Maybe I could have gone with you seven hundred years ago and stopped you from going crazy and dying in the first place. But I didn’t! ” I tried to take a deep breath, but it caught in my throat. “So yes, I made the same promise that Harlequin did - that I would stop you if something were to go wrong, no matter how I had to go about it.” My voice went quiet. “Even if that meant ending my own life.”

Helbram just stared at me, his eyes slightly rounded. Had he not thought I had the guts to put my own life on the line for this? Or maybe he hadn’t realized how upset I was about everything. Either way, I was glad that if nothing else, I seemed to have snapped him out of his rant against Hendrickson. While I hated Hendrickson with all my being for what he had done, he seemed to no longer be the demon the Sins had described to me. That, and this was neither the time nor place to fight Hendrickson if he wasn’t the threat.

Jenna clapped her hands together, snapping Helbram’s attention from me and mine from him. “Save the chitchat for later! It’s time for training.” She smiled as though nothing had happened. Though, the rest of the group was staring pretty openly at me, Helbram, and Hendrickson.

Harlequin crossed his arms, turning away from Hendrickson. “Honestly, I’m not in the mood anymore.”

Helbram followed suit. “Neither am I.” I couldn’t tell, though, if his unhappiness was directed at Hendrickson, me, or the both of us. He certainly wasn’t looking at me.

Jenna seemed amused, closing her eyes and crossing her arms. “Very well. But I have a hunch that the Ten Commandments couldn’t care less about our mood or convenience.”

Even so, the Grizzly Sin didn’t join the group that ended up stripping down to their bare essential clothing and entering the cave with nothing but an ash branch. Nor did Helbram, Zephyr, or I. We all remained outside in an awkwardness that only momentarily broke when a strange portal appeared and a black hound popped out. As soon as the black hound - Oslo - disappeared into the cave with the rest of the trainees, we returned to awkward silence.