Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Seven Deadly Sins: Zeldris x OC)

Chapter 7

    "Now, mind telling me what brought all this about?" Meliodas asked, poking Andrea's cheek with a finger.

    "Really, it's nothing," Andrea groaned, sitting up.

    "Nuh uh, these eyes of mine, trained in the ways of Reading-Andrea, can't be fooled!" Meliodas insisted, widening his eyes with his fingers for comedic effect.

    Andrea chuckled, then opened her mouth to tease Meliodas for being silly. However, what came out of her mouth was: "I thought I told you it was nothing?! Just shut up already!"

    Andrea drew back, shocked at what had come out of her own mouth, then stiffened. Horrified, she watched from a short distance away as her own body began fighting with Meliodas, their loud voices drawing the attention of the surrounding villagers. What- she tried to say before raising her hands to her mouth. Her voice refused to come out, and she was forced to watch as the fight escalated. Was... I really that horrible to Meli that day...? she thought as her body threw verbal abuse at Meliodas, who looked like he was trying to stop himself from crying. Even though she was relatively aware of her actions during her last rampage, the exact memories of what she said to Meliodas were blurry as if she had sealed them away along with herself. Hot tears streamed down her face as her body finally lashed out with a hand, her fingers curled into claws as it raked across Meliodas's forehead. Blood trickled down into his eye as he lept away, eyeing Andrea's body warily as she clutched her head in pain. Andrea could feel herself being tugged back into her body, then screamed as her head was struck with excruciating pain, like it was being split into two.

    Does Zaneri... really expect me to be able to control my powers... in this state?! she thought furiously as the knot of anger in her gut grew larger, its icy depths spreading throughout her veins as her magical power began to pour out in wrathful waves. She clenched her eyes shut as she struggled to contain her magic... and with a snap, it was suddenly gone. She kept her eyes shut, fully prepared for another wave of pain even worse than the last, but nothing came.

    "Drea! Check out this goofy statue!" Meliodas's voice called out, causing Andrea's eyes to snap open. Her horrified expression contorted into uncontrollable sobs as she stumbled into Meliodas's arms, the latter rubbing her back in confusion as she cried her heart out. If Meliodas was going through a similar thing as her at that very moment... She couldn't imagine the amount of pain he must be in.

    Again.

    And again.

    Andrea was forced to watch her body explode with rage and hurl verbal abuse at Meliodas no matter how she tried to change the situation, then get dragged back in only to be crippled by the pain wracking her body. This repeated itself over. And over. And over and over and over and over andoverandoverandoverandover-

    "Nemeza," Zaneri's voice chanted, drawing Andrea out of the cycle of hell. She collapsed to her knees, cold sweat drenching her body as she slowly came to the realization that she was back in reality.

    "...I'm... back?" Andrea murmured with disbelief, staring at her own hands before toppling backwards, Elizabeth's arms around her neck.

    "Lady Andrea, are you okay?!" she asked desperately, patting the older girl's face frantically. "You suddenly started crying... then stopped... then your face became so terribly pale...!" she rambled, her own eyes tearing up.

    "Ellie..." Andrea mumbled, then wrapped her own arms around Elizabeth as she clung to the princess for dear life. Elizabeth didn't comment on Andrea's strange use of the nickname from when they first met and instead silently returned the hug.

    "You were much closer to breaking than Meliodas," Zaneri said, interrupting their moment. "Your magic power began to bubble up even in the real world, and if I'd left you alone your body would have begun to rampage with your mind stuck on the other side, never to return again."