The Demon Prince

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕

After Danafor, I could no longer look Meliodas in the eye. When I did, all I could see was Liz' broken body cradled by the blond, his body turning black. I thought I was going to die, even though I was a vampire. Never once had I had the illusion that I was somehow stronger then Meliodas, this blast of power . . . I was sure that it would kill me, for good this time. And still, after 3000 years, I was not ready to die. The promises I made to myself were not yet fulfilled. Now the Goddesses might be in their slumber, bet there would come a time that they would awaken. When that time came, I had to kill Nerobasta and Ludociel. Nerobasta for taking my life so carelessly, only because she wanted Ludociel for herself. She betrayed a member of her own Race in her pursuit of toxic love and obsession. And Ludociel . . . There was a time that I wanted my revenge, he left me to die, he made me a martyr. But that did not seem important anymore. Life went on, and I knew I was better off like this. For starters, I wasn't in a state of comatose for all of these years. I might have dedicated my life to saving my friends, but it was still a life. No, it was because I realized Ludociel was dangerous. More dangerous than one certain black haired Demon. His hatred fuelled the Holy War, turned all other races against the Demons. All because of the Supreme Deity's wishes. Or maybe it was at first, he became a true liability after my death, and the demise of his brother Mael. When he woke up, he would do everything in his power to eradicate the entire Demon Race, me included. Maybe if he saw me, he would think that he would bring me salvation, that he would be doing the right thing. His awakening would bring a second Holy War, and the people of Brittania were not prepared for it. There were still those that called themselves Holy Knights, but they lost all of the glory they once had. Without a Holy War, the people had grown lazy. Meliodas, Merlin and I knew they would not stand a chance when a second Holy War did come. It was not until King Bartra told us about his vision that we realized that we had to take matters into our own hands. Thus, The Seven Deadly Sins were created.

They were known as Meliodas, Dragon Sin of Wrath; Merlin Boar Sin of Gluttony, Ban Fox Sin of Greed; King Grizzly Sin of Sloth; Diane Serpent Sin of Envy; Escanor Lion Sin of Pride and Gowther Goat Sin of Lust. Quickly, they become a renowned elite group of Holy Knights, their names known over entire Brittania. But most importantly, they became my best friends in the entire world. All of them were curiosities, exiles or rejects. Just as I was. As a Vampire, I was forbidden to enter most Kingdoms. People feared me, Holy Knights treated me like crap. They were the first one's in thousands of years to accept me for who I was, and for that they were the most precious people in my life. Maybe I wasn't an official member of their group, but I was part of their family.

It was too soon that this fate was twisted. The fall of the Seven Deadly Sins was fast, almost too quick to fully understand. We had to flee from the Kingdom of Liones and split up. Once they were the most beloved people all over Brittania, but just in a matter of hours they became the most hated, the most hunted one's. We could not even comprehend what at happened ourselves, all we knew was that Zaratras was dead, murdered in cold blood. And the Seven Deadly sins and I were the ones that were blamed.

With our capes still wrapped tightly around our bodies we finally made it outside the borders of Liones, my hand intertwined with Diane's. The Giant girl, now shrunk down to a regular sized person, was still crying. I could see the pain in her eyes, and I shared it with her. Her emotions were so delicate, so easily hurt. With the Seven Deadly Sins, she finally found a place to call home, a family of her own creation . . . Now we would all be ripped apart again. I placed my arms around the brunette, pulling her against my chest tightly.

❛ It will be alright, Diane, I promise. One day, sooner or later we will all be together again. The Seven Deadly sins will reunite, and all of us will clear our names. For now, we just need to be strong. ❜ I placed a kiss on her forehead and wiped away her tears. Over the years, she became as much my sister as Elizabeth was. ❛ I just - I just don't understand. Why would they think that we killed Zaratras? ❜ Her purple eyes that used to shine so brightly were now darkened by sadness. I wished that I knew the answer to all of her questions, I wished that I wouldn't have to say goodbye to another sister. I lowered my own eyes, tugging a strand of brown hair behind my ear. ❛ You should go, Diane, you only have a few more hours before you turn into a Giant again. When that happens, you need to be as far away from the Kingdom as possible. We all should go. ❜ My gaze shifted away from Diane, taking in the people around us. There were no words left to be said, no words that would ever be enough to say or hear in this situation. Truth was, none of us knew what the future would bring. The only certainty that I had was meeting with Meliodas again; in 20 years, if the Seven Deadly sins were still exiles, we would meet again by the borders of Liones. We would work on ways to break Elizabeth's curse once again. At least this way, Elizabeth might live a longer life as a Princess of Liones. My fingers slipped away from Diane's, and I watched her walk away, trying to fight my own tears. ❛ We should go as well, Miss Illyria. ❜ Escanor's voice said behind me, and I turned my attention towards him. I had offered to stay by his side, especially during the nights. Though he was nearly invincible by day, he was vulnerable at night. As I did many times before, I studied the scrawny man standing before me. After all these years I still had not figured out HOW he could change so much when the sun was shining . . . It reminded me of something, of someone, but I just . . . I could not figure out why Escanor's powers were so familiar too me. ❛ Yes, Escanor. You're right we should leave. ❜

The following years were not easy; Escanor had found a cave where we could hide. For weeks, we worked on building up our own. Later, we build a tavern in the front. My Sweet Gluttony might not be known by many, but the few that did know about us, came here almost every single night. One night, as we were just closing up the tavern, I faced Escanor, a soft smile on my lips. ❛ So, you're still sure about the name? 'My Sweet Gluttony'? ❜ The man turned to look at me, taking a deep breath. ❛ Of course I am, Miss Illyria, why wouldn't I be? ❜ It was strange to see how relaxed he had gotten around me over the past decade. By night, Escanor used to be so anxious around me, shuddering whenever I spoke, afraid of everything. Even the pet kitten I had one day taken home seemed to scare the living hell out of him. ❛ We haven't seen Merlin, or any of the Sins for over a decade. Do you - do you think you will tell Merlin how you feel about her once we are all reunited? ❜ For the first time in years, the red haired man was shuddering before me once again, his complexion turning as pale as a ghost. ❛ You - You know about my feelings for Merlin. ❜ I couldn't help the laughter that escaped from my lips, taking a chug from the Vanya ale on the counter. ❛ You named this tavern after her, Escanor. I'm not stupid. ❜ He took a deep breath, turning away from me. ❛ Are you telling the Captain about how you feel about him, when we are reunited? ❜ I spit out the ale, laughing even louder. ❛ I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. I just - I don't have feelings for Meliodas, never had them. He's more like a brother to me. Besides, his heart belongs to someone else. There is not a person in the worlds that could come between that. ❜ ❛ What about your heart, Miss Illyria? ❜

Immediately a flash of onyx eyes and raven hair shot through my mind. Despite being locked away for 3000 years now, Zeldris was the only one that owned my heart. Not that I was planning on sharing this with Escanor, it was one of the secrets I kept just for myself. ❛ I'm heading to bed, Escanor. ❜ I opened up the green curtains leading to our private quarters, and walked up to my bedroom. My bed stood under a window I had created myself, the only secret I had kept from Escanor. When we fled away from Liones 10 years ago, he had grown even more paranoid then before. It was only during the day that he dared to go outside, but at night he locked us both away from the outside world. Not that I blamed him, we had seen the wanted posters with our faces and names on them. But I missed the stars, the night, the darkness. This way, I could still look up at the night sky and stay inside. As I lay down in my bed, I waited until the peace the stars brought me would finally wash over me, but they never did. Not even the black cat on top of my chest offered me the peace I was craving.

I hadn't seen Zeldris in such a long time, not even in my dreams. I knew that he was still alive, I would've felt it if he died. Of that, I was 100% certain. One day the seal would be broken, and that time was near. Zeldris would be free, just like all the other members of the Ten Commandments. King Bartra had predicted that before we fled the Kingdom Of Liones. He had seen it in one of his visions, ten shadows that would try and take the land of Brittania for their own, defeated by seven sinners. That vision of his was the reason that the Seven Deadly Sins were created, even if they didn't know it themselves. No, that had always been a secret between Meliodas, Merlin and me. He was the reason why I had declined becoming a member of the Seven Deadly Sins, we had agreed that we would never be enemies. I had never given them a reason for it, but I believed that they had their suspicions.

I still didn't understand the hold he had over me myself. Before he was locked away, we had only met twice. I still remember falling to my death, believing it was him that killed me like it was yesterday. I remember how I felt when I met him the second time, when he showed me that he had tried to save me. When he had offered me the Commandment of Selflessness. Before I could accept it, he was sealed away by the Goddess Race. Everything I knew about him was based on my dreams. Maybe it was foolish of me, giving up so much just because of some dreams I had about him. But in my heart I knew they were real, I could feel it. He had used all of his energy, only to be able to see me. When darkness finally came for me, I was once again met by the raven haired demon prince.

He caressed my hair, his Onyx eyes directly looking into my own crimson eyes. ❛ It's been a long time, Illyria. Soon we will be free. I'm afraid I can no longer bestow the Commandment of Selflessness on you, my father promised it to someone else. ❜ His voice was barely above a whisper, a ghost of a smile painted on his lips. ❛ I wish it were different, but even if I offered it to you, you wouldn't want it anymore, am I right? ❜ I knew that this was just a dream, I did, but I wanted it to be real so badly. I lifted up my hand, running my fingers through his hair. ❛ No, Zeldris, I am afraid I wouldn't take it anymore. But I don't want us to be enemies. I just - I want peace, I don't want a second Holy War. ❜ He laughed softly, placing his fingers under my chin and tilting it up slightly, his lips only inches away from my own. ❛ We haven't been enemies for 3000 years Illyria, and I choose not to see you as an enemy when we're resurrected. ❜ ❛ Swear it? ❜ I whispered, staring into his eyes mesmerized, for his eyes were a universe on their own. He laughed, and I saw miniature stars twinkle in the darkness of his eyes. ❛ You are the reason I'm still sane after 3000 years of captivity, I would do nothing to harm you. And friend or foe, I will kill anyone that lays a hand on you. ❜ I lay my head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent. ❛ Are you strong enough? To be freed from the seal? ❜ He sighed, turning his head away from me. ❛ We're weak, all of us. From the moment we're freed, our strength will start to return to us. I will be just fine. ❜ I nodded my head, taking a deep breath. ❛ When you're free, I will come to you. I will go to the Fairy's King Forest. Please, meet me there when you're strong enough. ❜ His eyes widened slightly, taking me in. ❛ We will meet soon, Illyria. Sooner than you'd think. ❜ And with those words, he drifted away, too far for me to reach.

I was awakened by an enormous power filling the air, shaking the earth. I couldn't help but smile, he kept his promise. ❛ May we meet soon, Zeldris. ❜

✧ 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 ✧

Zeldris' POV

Creating Illyria's dreams was draining all of the magical power I still had left. I hadn't done it in almost a decade, I had to safe my powers to keep the other Commandments in their comatose state. Everyday my powers weakened, everyday their sleep became lighter. It was around a year ago that Monspeet had woken up. ❛ You did not have to do this, Zeldris, you've weakened yourself too much. Once we're free, we need you to recover the quickest out of us all. ❜ I sighed, turning my back at the Commandment of Reticence. ❛ 3000 years passed, Monspeet. Do you think that we wouldn't have turned against one another after all of those years? When the Seal is broken, we need to be united. I did as I thought was best. ❜ Monspeet frowned, but nodded his head. There were times that I wished I knew what was going on inside of his head, he must have a storm rising inside of him. ❛ I will bring myself back into that comatose state, and I will lend you half of my powers. Just - make sure Derieri is spared of this agony. ❜ I nodded my head, looking down at the nude female Demon laying on the ground. Monspeet stood above her, taking of his white cape and placed it on top of her. He sat down on the same spot he had been sitting for the last thousands of years, placing Derieri's head in his lap once again. ❛ I promise that I won't let her wake up before the Seal is broken, don't worry. ❜ He offered a soft smile before placing his hand on his temple, drifting back into a dreamless sleep.

Now, I felt the Seal growing weaker and weaker by the minute. I knew that we were hours, maybe even minutes away from being resurrected. I should wake up the others, give them time to adjust, tell them of all the years that had been stolen from us . . . But first I had to see her one last time before I was brought back into her world. I had watched her for 3000 years, I had spoken with her through dreams . . . She became a part of me, and I had to make sure that she would not betray me. I had to make sure that we would not become enemies, fighting opposite sides. So, I closed my eyes, using that fragment of my soul that was currently taking up residence in a black kitten sleeping on top of her chest, and created the Fairy King Forest from 3000 years ago. The place where we were supposed to meet.

It were only minutes, but when I woke up again, my entire body was aching. Every cell of my body felt as if it was on fire, but I had to wake them up. It took all the rest of my magical powers to lift the sleeping spell I had cast on them. ❛ Ten Commandments, time has finally come for us to be released into the world again. The Seal has been broken, by Fraudrin. As his reward, the Commandment of Selflessness will be given to us. With him, we will be complete once again. Our goal is to conquer Brittania, and take our revenge on the traitor, Meliodas. ❜ Those words were exactly what they needed to hear, I could see the fire return to their eyes, fuelled by the hatred for my brother. ❛ The world as we knew it no longer exists, 3000 years have passed. ❜ 3000 years, if I hadn't counted them myself, I wouldn't have believed it. But it was there, 1 095 000 markings on the walls that surrounded us, one mark for each day that passed.

The Seal was finally opened completely, around us a cave appeared. I heard the voices of two men, one of them was Fraudrin, taking up residence inside of a human body. Who the other was, I had no idea, but I could feel remnants of Demonic energy pulsating from him. This was without a doubt the pawn Fraudrin had used in order to bring us back. Now that we were back, it was time to put my mask on again; the mask of the Leader of the Ten Commandments. They were my companions, my warriors, we have been through hell and back together . . . But that didn't mean I wanted to show them that I, too, could be vulnerable. I wanted them away from Illyria as long as possible. I wanted her all for myself. They needed their focus on something else, a purpose . . .

❛ 3000 years . . . ❜ I spoke, a smirk curving upon my lips. ❛ Please tell me he's still alive. We'll meet again soon, Meliodas. ❜

Yes, that would keep them occupied for a bit. In the meantime, I had to find her.