NNT ONE SHOTS

A brothers grief

Requested by Zorra_lovesanime

B R O T H E R H O O D
ANGST

summary: Zeldris said that he'd rather die than be his fathers puppet, and he was being serious.

Time line; in the mind scape when the demon king possesses zeldris.

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THIRD PERSON POV
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It wasn't supposed to end like this.
He wasn't supposed to go before Meliodas emptied his heart, apologizing for everything he had ever done to him.
Zeldris.
His younger brother who had always lived him. His younger brother that he had pushed away and forced to be as isolated as him.
He deserved a thousand apologies.
But he had made up his mind.

"Zel..."

He had decided, rather than be a vessel for their father to use to bring destruction to Britannia, he wound die, hoping that it'd stop him.
And even if it didn't, zeldris's couldn't be at fault for what wound happen.

He had let himself go, and meliodas hadn't been able to do anything but hold him after his passing as he sobbed.
He wondered if things would have been different if just he had done a few things differently.
If only he had dragged him with him that day, even if he was kicking and screaming.
If only he had taken him away from their father...
If only he had known how much he loved him.

"I didn't...Zel...i d-didn't get to apologize yet...I didn't get to tell you...h-how sorry I am.." meliodas tightened his grip on his younger brothers body.
To think that the first time he'd hug him since he was just a small child was as he laid dead in his arms.
"I really am the worst...aren't I?" Meliodas let out a broken laugh, knowing that zeldris would've definitely sat up and agreed with him had he still been alive.
"The worst big b-brother anyone could wish for..." meliodas hung his head, but suddenly zeldris felt lighter.

As he looked dish he saw that zeldris was becoming to fade away, after all this was his soul, and now that he was dead he would go beyond, wherever demons go.
But meliodas wasn't ready.
How could he ever be?
Who would ever be ready to say goodbye to their precious brother?
"No!" Meliodas cried as he tightened his grip, as if it wound ensure that zeldris wouldn't be going anywhere, but it wasn't up to meliodas.
The universe didn't care wether he was ready or not as zeldris continued to face with every passing second.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry Zel!"

In the end he was gone and meliodas sat left on the ground as he felt the mind scape fade away and finally cast him out.
Without zeldris it couldn't exist, abd zeldris was gone.
Forover.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Having returned to the real world meliodas only felt one emotion as everything left in him had gone numb.
He now only felt rage, and he was determined to avenge zeldris by finally killing the one who has caused all of this. Their father, if he found ever still be called that, because what father would do this?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

They had won.

The demon king. The tyrant.
He was finally gone.

It was supposed to have been a happy victory, but it wasn't.
Nobody could celebrate as zeldris's body reverted back to normal.

Elizabeth had confirmed it.
He was gone.
Too far beyond help.

"This...this wasn't supposed to have happened" meliodas couldn't even bring himself to cry any longer.
Seeing his brothers true body, dead, confirmed it for him and he was sent into a state of shock, completely numb.
"Why couldn't I protect him? Why did I fail him again"

"Meliodas..." Elizabeth wanted to console him, but she had no idea what to say.

"Why?..." he mumbled again, grasping at answer for the question.
He couldn't figure it out.
How could he have failed him?
How could he?
Why?

"I-"

"Zel?"

Everyone stiffened.
Not everyone recognized the voice, but it held the same pain as Meliodas's.

Meliodas shook as he turned around with wide eyes.
"Gelda"
He hadn't kept him alive to meet her again.
She hadn't been in time.

What was gonna happen now?

"What happened? Tell me what has happened" Gelda squeezed out.
Despite the hurt there was a hint of hope in her voice.
She was hoping that he was unconscious.
Unconscious...not dead.

"Tell me..."

It was as if her begging stirred Meliodas's emotions up again as he no longer had the will, nor power to keep himself from breaking down again.
"I'm sorry..."

With just two words....she knew.