Our First Fall (Melizabeth)

25. Can't Stand The Heat

Sweat coated me like a second skin. My endurance had been peaked, my speed amazing but today I was back of the pack. Demons jeered at me, most of them in an attempt to pull some fight out of me. They were bolder with Meliodas gone. He'd set us to our drills and left with a promise to be back when we were finished.

It'd been two days since my magic explosion in the cube and my power is still erratic. So, we hadn't been back, although he said we could start it back up when I am back to myself. I had insisted I could still train with the others, yet it seemed Meliodas had been right. Perhaps I shouldn't be here.

Meliodas had taken it easy with me, even helping me with a new report to Ludociel by sketching outlines of the city and some parts of the castle. I'd refused to write about the power structure here but did agree to give the Ten Commandments names. Meliodas said it would buy us more time and that it wasn't a betrayal.

Is that what is weighing me down, or did my magic have more to do with my stamina than I thought? The others were finished when I'd reached them. I'd done half my laps on foot and the other half by wings. I glided to a stop, panting as I shrugged to some of those I considered friends when they looked at me with concern. Or, I guess I couldn't truly tell with Yuri as her 'head' didn't show many emotions- she kind of always looked like she was about to eat you.

Without much subtly, I reinvigorated myself and the sweat misted away.

"No fair." Groder nudged me from the side, his white hair slick with sweat, matted to the side of his face. I shrugged, grinning.

Meliodas appeared on top of the wall, looking down at us. He spotted me and jumped down from the wall, the impact drawing everyone's focus and to my surprise, he had the cube and plate in opposite hands. He hadn't told me the troops were starting this today. I flushed, thinking he might have given up on training me. In his deep, commanding voice that always got me flustered, he explained how to use the cube and what it does.

"I'll demonstrate with Elizabeth, come here." He calls me out and I grow flush, slowly walking forward. Together, we walk farther away still, to a spot in the packed soil that looked about the size of the perfect cube when it's erect. He whispers, chin at my shoulder to say "We're going to face both our golems together, attack mine and I'll attack yours when they first appear to get the most out of this. It will be intense but I promise you're ready." When I gave him a wide-eyed look he smiled, reassuringly. "Worse case, I'll keep you safe."

Did we have to do this in front of everyone? I was about to ask if I could sit this out but then I remembered my golem was only as strong as I am, so she'd be feeling this depletion too. He held up the cube, stating what I already knew.

"You all will start with this side of the cube." The symbol is of two stick figures mirrored with a line between them. "Pay attention, everyone will be entering in pairs." The troops grumbled and Meliodas snapped at them. "It's because when you mess up no one will be able to enter the cube to deactivate it until you regain consciousness, so your partner can still pull this cube free." Oh, that's why Meliodas always entered with me? It wasn't to save my ass? Although he still did. Meliodas looked to me, calling to the group "We'll be fighting both our own golems but the lot of you will fight one on one."

Some groaned in anticipatory pain but most just looked curious. With a long look over me, he showed me the side we'd be activating. A symbol of two stick figures, arrowed to opposite stick figures, still looking like a child's drawing. He didn't say a word but I knew he was telling me to be ready, to attack his golem. I fall into my stance beside him as he puts the plate on the ground and slides the cube into its place.

The transparent magic hexahedron forms around us and the demon troops move to the edges, each one getting a front row seat to what was about to happen. My nerves fired but so did my adrenaline. I've done this before and with Meliodas being the target of my golem, I'd beat the bitch back no problem.