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Gloxinia and Drole had gone out to find Meliodas. Normally Gloxinia wouldn’t be that worried about the demon. It wasn’t like Meliodas couldn’t take care of himself. He was probably one of the most capable people in Stigma – and Gloxinia hadn’t even really seen him go all out. He’d heard the rumors though, heard the horror stories about Meliodas’ feats as the leader of the Ten Commandments. He held power and skill even the goddesses feared. So, no, normally neither Gloxinia nor Drole would be worried about Meliodas being somewhere alone.
Though it was rare these days, to not see Elizabeth and Meliodas more or less connected at the hips. At least for this long. Where one was, the other was almost definitely close by. Then again, almost instantly after the four of them had returned, after a mission off-base, Elizabeth had been called away by Nerobasta. Gloxinia hadn’t seen Meliodas around for a good while now either. Whether it was cause for worry or not, Gloxinia couldn’t shake the bad feeling. One Drole seemingly had shared, because he had been the first to suggested tracking Meliodas down.
The feeling only got worse the further they went. Gloxinia couldn’t even explain why he had it. He had no real basis for it, but it still felt like something was wrong. Like something worse was about to happen. The out-of-place power he could feel in the forest did nothing to ease the disturbing feeling. Even added to it as Gloxinia could pick out Meliodas presence along with it. His was strong as usual, of course, yet at the same time… It almost seemed diminished against the other. That wasn’t right. Gloxinia shared a quick glance with Drole just before they pushed past the last trees and-
It wasn’t like Gloxinia didn’t know how the goddess clan felt about demons. None of them were subtle about it. He knew they still didn’t trust Meliodas. He just never thought they’d try something like this. Especially so close to the base. Inside the Fairy King’s Forest. The thought almost made him feel sick - though nothing compared to the scene before them.
They’d found Meliodas. That was the one and only good thing Gloxinia could take away from this. He was there – but not safe. He was alive – but not well. He was being attacked by a goddess.
She had Meliodas pinned against a tree; one had wrapped tightly around his throat. The ark light emitting from it was searing and charring, filling the air with the sickening smell of burning flesh. It was enough to make Gloxinia nauseous. The sight only worsening the feeling. The skin underneath her hand was turning a bubbling black, blood seeping out between her fingers. Meliodas face was twisted in pain. Sweat beaded his forehead as unshed tears glistened in his eyes. His hands trembled where they were wrapped around the goddess’ wrists. Despite his wobbling arms, the goddess struggled against his force. Still though, her grip remained firm. Her fingers digging into his throat, drawing out even more blood. Meliodas let out choked, gurgling sound. A small trail of red trailing down his chin. His fingers weakened their hold around her.
Why isn’t he fighting back? Gloxinia wouldn’t say he was someone easily shaken, but this… He didn’t even know how to process what he was seeing. He felt frozen in place, but that though kept repeating. Why isn’t he fighting back?!
She was a decent fighter. A great addition to Stigma’s forces; but she held no authority, no special power. In the face of the eldest son of the Demon King, the once leader of the demonic army and alleged future ruler of the Demon Realm? She shouldn’t have been able to get the upper hand in the first place. Let alone inflict an injury of that extent. Meliodas was pushing her back enough to keep her other hand away from him, but he wasn’t fighting back. There was no sign of darkness. No demonic powers; his eyes as green as the forest around them.
“What the hell is going on?” Drole’s loud voice cut through the scene, just as it seemed to have cut through his typical calmness. Gloxinia was grateful though, for him doing what he couldn’t.
The goddess jumped back, startled, and the light disappeared from her hand. Her eyes widened as she turned their way. Had she really not noticed them – noticed Drole – approaching? Powerful as he was, stealth was not a common skill amongst giants, especially one of Drole’s size. Her gaze flickered towards Meliodas, who had crumpled to the ground the second she let go. Her panic was almost overwhelming.
Gloxinia’s hands clenched into fists. Meliodas still lying at her feet was the only thing keeping him from brining Basquias down on her ass. What the hell was she doing? What’s going on here?!
Logically, Gloxinia knew exactly what was going on. There were no nuances, no explanation needed. The goddess had just tried to kill Meliodas. Right here and now. Because apparently that was something that happened in the midst of fucking Stigma.
The goddess shrunk back as her eyes met Gloxinia and Drole. She stumbled backwards several steps, almost falling over Meliodas’ sprawled hand. Her own bloody one shook as she raised it in defense. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as she frantically looked around them.
“Choose your next words carefully.” Drole seemed to have regained his composure. His voice was even as he spoke, but Gloxinia knew him better than that. He could still her the simmering wrath just beneath his words. His advice was pointless though. There was not a thing the goddess could say in this instant that would save her from making an enemy of the two kings. She seemed to know that too. Because in the next moment, a rush of wind gushed over them as she rapidly took off into the sky.
Gloxinia noted Drole following her path with his gaze. He didn’t feel the need to do the same. They both already knew where she was heading; to the Light of Grace. To Ludociel. There was no doubt in Gloxinia’s mind that the archangel knew about this. For all he knew, he was probably behind this. Why else would a common soldier like her be attacking Meliodas like this? Was this why Elizabeth had been dragged away? So she wouldn’t be here?
Meliodas started moving on the ground and it was enough to finally snap Gloxinia into action. He quickly landed and kneeled on the ground next to Meliodas. The demon was still slumped over. One hand dug into the ground. His arms quivered as he pushed himself up into a semi-kneeling position. He continued to be bent over, but at the very least his face was off the ground. His other hand was pressed tightly around the wound to this throat.
Gloxinia wasn’t sure what to do. His fingers twitched as he hovered his hand over Meliodas’ back. He threw a quick glance at Drole, but the giant wasn’t looking in their direction. His eye firmly trained in the direction of the tower; one pair of arms crossed tensely over his chest, and both sets of hands curled into fists. He was standing guard. Gloxinia couldn’t blame him. He had never thought Ludociel would actually… What would have happened if they hadn’t found Meliodas when they did? What if they hadn’t gone to look for him? Gloxinia shuddered at the thought.
“Are you okay?” he asked, stupidly, and the idiot nodded his head. He probably should have expected that. Gloxinia knew how distraught it made Elizabeth, that Meliodas would always dismiss his own injuries like that. In the moment, with Meliodas’ blood spread over the forest floor around them, Gloxinia would admit she wasn’t alone in that sentiment. Nothing really seemed to rattle him – beside threats against Elizabeth – so of course he’d claim to be fine after a literal attempt on his life.
“I-” Meliodas tried to speak, but what was supposed to be words broke off into a garbled mess of pained sounds that made Gloxinia’s own throat seize and almost sent Meliodas back to the ground.
“Whoa!” Gloxinia quickly grabbed hold of Meliodas’ shoulder and pulled him up till he was sitting on the ground. The closer view of his throat sent a new, fresh wave of nausea over Gloxinia.
“Don’t speak. That’s- Don’t speak,” Gloxinia insisted, rubbing Meliodas’ arm in a poor attempt at comfort. Meliodas grimaced, nodding his head again. “We’ve got you.”
Drole turned to look down at them. His mouth a thin line as he saw the mess under Meliodas’ hand. At least now, blackness covered Meliodas’ eyes as he pushed darkness into the wound. Slowly, painstakingly piecing the burned flesh together again. Gloxinia should have felt relieved, should have just let him tend to his wound in peace, but in that moment he couldn’t stop the words.
“Oh, so now you use your powers?” The bitter comment went against the suggestion Gloxinia himself had made just seconds ago. He couldn’t help it. Not with the sudden rise of anger, this one directed at Meliodas himself.
Meliodas glared at him. The intensity severely decreased by the tear tracks now donning his face and the fact that he couldn’t even pull himself off the ground. Still, an attempt was made. The smeared blood painted a morbid image as a small, almost non-existent sigh pushed past Meliodas’ lips. Despite the size, its message was clear. Gloxinia pushed back at the anger. He could yell at him when this was all over.
Gloxinia let out a sigh of his own, asking “Why didn’t you defend yourself?”
Meliodas looked from Gloxinia to Drole and back. Then he just shrugged, his free hand making a non-committed wave in the air. Gloxinia really hoped he meant that as in a what could I do way and not as a dismissal of the whole thing.
“I’m not saying it was wise,” Drole spoke up. He was looking directly at Meliodas, ensuring he had the demon’s full attention. “In fact, it’s probably the most stupid decision I’ve seen, but… Stigma’s only demon attacking a goddess without any witnesses wouldn’t have been wise either.”
Gloxinia didn’t want to admit Drole had a point. He really, really didn’t. But Drole did have a point.
The cleverness behind Ludociel’s plan was becoming cleared by the second. Meliodas – the one demon around – had been attacked by a goddess away from everyone else. In the end, it would have been his words against hers. They were very few, who would actually believe she had instigated the whole thing. If Meliodas hadn’t thought back – and they hadn’t been interrupted – he would have been killed. If he had chosen to fight back – use his demonic powers – then that would be all the proof needed to declare him untrustworthy – no better than the demons they warred against. No matter the outcome, Ludociel would have gotten rid of Meliodas and not even Elizabeth could have stopped him.
Gloxinia didn’t know what to say to that, so instead he just watched Meliodas. He seemed to struggle. The darkness flickered as he focused on the wound with a pinched expression. He wasn’t bleeding anymore, but his skin didn’t look much better. Gloxinia grimaced. It still looked so bad.
“We should find Elizabeth, she can-”
Meliodas let out a sharp, wordless shout. He grabbed onto Gloxinia’s arm with both hands as he shook his head rapidly from side to side. Gloxinia pressed his lips together – ignoring the way the blood on Meliodas’ hand seeped into his own skin – of course he doesn’t want her to know.
Gloxinia wasn’t exactly thrilled of the idea of telling Elizabeth himself. She was already upset and enraged at the way Meliodas was treated, especially by Ludociel. If they told her he’d tried to have him killed… Gloxinia didn’t want to image how’d she look at that. He sighed, frustrated, but it was Drole who spoke.
“Meliodas…”
Meliodas dropped Gloxinia’s arms. He looked them in the eyes, one at a time, his own gaze steady and unwavering, and shook his head once more. He wasn’t begging this time. It was a statement. He couldn’t even speak, and his throat looked like a burned hog, but Meliodas was not about to let them tell Elizabeth about this. Of all the stubborn-
“Even you can’t just shrug this of, this is serious!”
Meliodas avoided his gaze. His bangs fell over his eyes as he bowed his head slightly. Then he shook his head again and looking up at them again, made some gestures that Gloxinia could barely discern.
Nope! Not happening. Gloxinia was not about to concede that Meliodas had any point whatsoever. Behind him, Drole sighed, equally frustrated. How the hell were they supposed to just accept that their friend had almost been murdered, and telling someone would change absolutely nothing?
“…No… poi-nt,” Meliodas grit out. His voice sounded like he had shards of glass shoved down his throat. Gloxinia was not happy about this but…
“Okay, fine,” he grumbled. Only because they didn’t need to hurt Elizabeth too. “We won’t tell her.”
“This time,” Drole added. Gloxinia nodded sharply. If this happened again, he’d personally help Elizabeth hunt Ludociel down. Meliodas seemed to accept the compromise and brought his hand back up to his throat.
Yeah, okay, that was enough. Gloxinia didn’t know if Meliodas struggled due to the damaged inflicted or because it had been caused by ark, but he couldn’t watch this anymore.
“If you’re not going to let Elizabeth help you,” Gloxinia gently slapped Meliodas’ hands away, “then at least let me.”
Meliodas looked up confused, but Gloxinia was already pulling Basquias into its seventh form. The Moon Rose towered above them in all its impressive glory.
“Droplet of Life,” Gloxinia called out, letting the magic fall over Meliodas. In an instant, nothing but flawless skin was left. Any remains of the damage gone, any remains of Ludociel’s actions too.
Meliodas touched his throat in awe, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You know, some people would just say thank you.”
Meliodas gave him a soft smile, not quite meeting his eyes, “Thank you, Gloxinia. Really.”
“Yeah, well,” Gloxinia tried to shake off the unease left by the whole situation. “Demon or not, you’re our friend.”
Gloxinia shared a look with Drole at that. In his eye, his own determination was reflected. From here on, they’d keep a closer watch over Meliodas. Just in case Ludociel got any more dangerous ideas. Gloxinia wasn’t exactly comfortable letting Meliodas deal with something like this on his own.
“Come on, you two, we should head back before Ellie gets worried!”
After all, his self-preservation seemed to revolve more around Elizabeth’s well-being than his own.