Ban stood over the large rock with a mix of emotions that had him clenching his fist as an outlet. Fury, sadness, injustice, disbelief, and a deep burning anger all contributing to the pain in his chest.
Here where the sins stood was a graveyard full of ended stories and lives. However, there was only one story he currently cared about. The ended life of the person they had spent three days looking for.
Zeldris Damon: Age 9 when passed.
They had gotten a tip from an elderly man four days ago saying he had seen that name before in the village of Waterbury. However, he didn't mention that the name was in a graveyard.
All of the others were trying to think of how to handle this situation and whether or not they should tell Meliodas, while Ban was still trying to process the news in general.
It didn't make sense... what had killed him? Holy knights? Humans? Lack of food or shelter? What is it that justified the death of -not only such a young child- but also the only close family Meliodas had left? Hadn't he been through enough? It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.
Images of his lost sister's small smiling form filled his mind as he let out the flooding fury by punching the grave hard enough to leave a dent.
"Ban! What are you doing?! I understand you're upset but don't disrespect the dead!!"
"NO! I refuse to accept that! He... He can't be dead.. That poor kid has already suffered enough. WHAT SICK GOD OUT THERE WOULD BE WILLING TO DO THIS!?"
He punched the stone again.. and then again... the last being hard enough to make the stone crumble to the ground. But regardless of the broken words laying across the bed of grass.. it didn't change reality... it didn't change the death of a young boy, nor had it happened soon enough to shield another's eyes from the name on the worn grey slab.
"Z-Zeldris- is... dead?"
Their heads whipped around to see a blond headed boy with a completely shattered and yet numb look on his face.
"Nonononono.. T-That can't be right."
He gripped his hair with his hands as he fell to his knees shaking.
"K-Kiddo I-"
"NO! Y-You don't understand! He isn't DEAD! He can't be dead because I hid him. When the holy knights came, I hid him... they didn't find him, I know they didn't find him. He's okay, he's okay... he's okay right? Please let him be okay, I know he okay! He's okay he's okay he's okay he's okay he's okay he's okay..."
He repeated the words like a broken record, his mouth on repeat to sooth his shattered mind. But nothing, no words, no actions, no person, could fix him now.
The years of endless torment were catching up with him faster than he could handle. And he was now finally- and completely... broken. His anchor through all of these years was gone, and now his sanity had nothing to hold itself in place anymore.
They all stood in stunned silence at the heart-rending sight of the boy in front of them. None of them knowing words to console him nor heal this trauma. Only two out of the group could begin to understand, and yet even they had no words that could make the pain stop.
All they could do was watch as he crumbled just as the stone did.
_________________________________________
Meliodas's mind kept spiraling the longer the sins were away on their trip. As the days passed of their leave, he kept getting more and more paranoid until he shared his fears with his caretakers, who were willing to take them to where they had said they were going.
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Broken
FanfictionA boy that has been a slave for longer than generations of humans, had finally found a master who is willing to treat him as a person rather than the demon heritage that got him into this mess. However, just becasue he is no longer a slave to anothe...
