3,000 Years

Frightening Yet Familiar

A/N: Warning, this is one of the longer entries. (13,000+ words this time).

.....

Two young children ran about the field, laughing as one growled and stomped about as if he were a raging dragon. Small hands were arched like claws, his teeth bared as he chased the other. That child ran away squealing, saying that the scary dragon shouldn't eat her because she was his only friend. However she laughed as he chased after her, fresh tears of joy escaping.

"I'm gonna eat you!"

The boy tackled the girl to the ground, her blue eyes widening in shock as they both landed in the dirt and grass. It was a rather rough fall, tufts of green and leaves flying into the air, but the boy had made sure the girl wasn't injured, easily taking the brunt of the impact. He was much tougher than her after all. The impact being greater than he had expected, the fall winded the boy and the girl took advantage of that.

"No you're not, Mr Dragon!" The girl laughed as she attempted to shove the boy off her form, more giggles escaping as he refused to budge. Pure cloud-like wings fluffed behind her, the girl trying to use the extra limbs to help her effort. "I'm going to escape!"

His own laughter joined hers, a crooked grin forming on his lips as she continued to shove with no winning results.

"Nope, you're my prey," The boy insisted, shaking his head of untamed golden locks. He then proceeded to tickle the girl, sending her into a fit of squeals and giggles as she rolled about beneath him.

"M-Meliodas! S-stop!"

The girl was now red-faced, her laughter becoming almost painful as she attempted to get the boy back for his fiendish ticking plot. He always went for the cheat, knowing that she was extremely ticklish. It was super unfair and sometimes the girl felt he used it too often. So moving as quickly as she could, the girl sat up and pushed the boy down, smiling as he actually toppled over. She was about to call out in victory, however the boy grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down with him.

The pair fell back into the grass, side by side as they laughed. Mr Dragon and Liz. Liz and Mr Dragon...

.....

Elizabeth knows of the dangers that lurk in the woods. She knows of the monsters that feed on the bones and flesh of young maidens; she knows of the creatures that are known to strike a man down with only a large, clawed paw. She knows of the evils that hide in the shadows of the trees; how the creatures feed on the darkness itself to gain powers beyond your worst nightmares. Elizabeth knows of how dangerous it is to go into woods.

And yet she is not afraid.

The young maiden stands before the thick border of trees, a basket tucked within the crook of her arm. Silver hair is concealed by a simple red riding cloak, only her fair skin and blue eyes being displayed to the world. Beneath the cloak is an extravagant dress, betraying that she is from the nearby kingdom of goddesses. A kingdom that has tried many times to burn down the abomination known as the woods. The same woods that are used to create a new generation of the monsters that lurk within it and that Elizabeth stands before now.

Filthy creatures, the monsters are called, though many know them by the simple name of demons. They could sometimes be humanoid, other times not. Most often they take the form of horribly bonded hybrids, their features a mixture of all sorts of creatures one would not try to fuse. As a result they're known as the monsters of the world, the ones that no-one would want to associate with. However this one young goddess, this one naive woman, has chosen to come to the border of their lands.