Broken

Contract

The slave walked sluggishly with his chains wrapped tightly around him, preventing all methods of escape. Not that he would try.

He knew better than to do that. In his current shape, it would only end in him being caught and potentially killed. Besides, it wasn't like he had anything or one to run to. Any family he still had alive, he didn't know where they were.

The only semblance of a family he had left at all was a simple, worn out, photo he had carried with him through his years.

It was taken without a thought of what it would represent later on in the boy's life on a calm day for no particular reason, but it had become something the young slave clung onto terribly.

His mother and father had their arms wrapped around each other in a happy embrace with warm smiles covering their faces. In-between the couple were the two small children, the older one holding the smaller in his arms tightly. Once again with large smiles on their faces.

Always smiling...

Always happy...

Always free..

All things that Meliodas hadn't done nor experienced since around the time of that photo being taken.

Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he live a normal life? Why couldn't he go back in time to that moment so he could remember what it felt like to be loved, to be cared for, to be free...

These questions had all plagued his mind since the moment he had started working for the humans, but they were starting to be drowned out by the numbness the boy had begun to make himself comfortable in. The indifference that allowed him to function when any normal child would have broken down.

The lack of emotion for himself or others kept him alive, but when looking into his eyes, even that was debatable.

So cold, so hollow, so... numb. As the saying went, "the eyes are the window to the soul." And when looking at this boy's, the sentence couldn't be truer.

Forcing himself from his thoughts, he continued to walk towards the space in the middle of the circle he was assigned.

When a demon's contract was up, they were to be put to sleep with a comand from the item controlling them. After that, they were left it the circle that prevented them or others from breaking the spell until they have been assigned to a new person.

Although now, slaves had become particularly expensive, so there wasn't any telling if someone wealthy would even come by any time soon. The slave could be put under for years and not even know it. A scary thought for many, but... for this slave, it was actually a comfort. His favorite part was the rest he'd get before being sent off. And the more time that passed, the more peace he was permitted.

Walking obediently into the small circle without any of the protest his captives seemed to expect, he stood dutifully in wait for the next command that would put him under.

Letting his mind shut off, he felt the world start to go black as he heard the only word he would for the next hundred years.

"Sleep."
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Merlin had felt like something was.. off, about this area. She could feel odd magic radiating in an area nearby, but she wasn't sure from what. It seemed dormant, but powerful, almost muffled in its presence. It was rare for the mage to come across something that was unfamiliar to her, and as such, curiosity quickly got a strong grasp on her.

Not even bothering to mention where was going or why, the woman abruptly veered from her comrads, as she began walking to where she sensed the magic force.