The Endless Hourglass

Chapter Fifteen

Ban didn't remove his arms from around Pandora. He held her tightly, not trusting that she wouldn't turn to attack her brother again. The rest of the Sins climbed into the ring, announcing themselves. It was all too much for Pandora. Too much was happening and her brain felt overloaded. The blue-haired man's arms tightened around her when her body went limp. He carefully picked her up, gazing down at her now peaceful face.

Her face was peaceful but there was very little peace otherwise. Chaos had ensued. Everyone ran in different directions. The citizens were running for cover but the Sins prepared for a fight. Ban was walking around slowly, still holding an unconscious Pandora in his arms.

"You. What did you do to Holy Knight Pandora? We were told to bring her back alive!" Before Ban could answer, Jericho stabbed him in the chest, just barely missing Pandora. He quickly put Pandora to the side, not wanting her to get hurt. The dog Pandora befriended earlier ran over to her and gently licked her face.

"Do I know you?" Ban looked at her for a moment. "Ah! Barber Boy! What's up?"

"I will succeed where others have failed. Pandora allowed you to escape and she's failed to kill you. She was too weak. But I am now a stronger Holy Knight than her and you will die by my hands." Ban didn't feel any sense of danger until she took her sword out of his chest and he wasn't healing.

What pulled Pandora from her slumber was the sudden disappearance of a strong magical presence. It was as if her brother fell off the face of the earth, his magic with him. She looked around, seeing Ban a bloody mess, and the dog lying next to her. She crawled over to Ban and pulled him into her lap. She gently tapped his face, trying to wake him up. His scarlet eyes fluttered open meeting her emerald ones. The dog gently licked his cheek.

"Pandora? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine but you have to get up. I don't know what happened to Meliodas. I'll see if I can save anyone, you focus on Meliodas." Ban gave her a questioning glance. "I want to be the one to kill him is all." Pandora quickly stood up and offered Ban a hand. He ran over to a purple-haired girl and Pandora walked over to Griamore. He didn't know she was a traitor yet. She let her eyes wander to the purple sphere that held the princess.

"Elizabeth." Pandora said softly. So the curse was still active. Meliodas was still suffering but he was alone. Ban crept up behind the other princess and threatened to kill her. Pandora was frozen. She thought Meliodas would have broken the curse somehow. She wasn't the only one who suffered when they were apart. It all made sense to her. That's why Meliodas was mad. She felt he abandoned her but he too was forced to suffer alone.

Pandora was deep in thought until Jericho attacked Ban which quickly snapped her out of it. She aggressively planted her foot on Ban's back. She didn't know who that was but that wasn't the Jericho she knew.

"Jericho, what on earth are you doing? That's not necessary."

"That's what makes you weak. You let your feelings interfere with your judgment. Your moral compass interferes with your job. That is why you are such a weak Holy Knight. That's why I'll be the one to bring you back to Liones." The dog growled threateningly by Pandora's side.

"Jericho, watch it." Pandora said through gritted teeth. "Why are you so desperate to bring me back? It doesn't seem like you've missed me much."

"The worst part is you only have yourself to blame. If you can't stand the sight of blood, you shouldn't have become a Holy Knight." Pandora knew it wasn't Jericho but she couldn't hold herself back.

"You really have no idea who I am, do you?" Pandora asked, her voice gone dark. Jericho ignored her and started her way over to Elizabeth who was beside Guila. Griamore released the sphere, dropping Elizabeth on the ground. Pandora looked over to Ban in worry. He was in bad shape but his chest was still rising and falling.

Pandora looked back over and Guila had her rapier pointed at the princess's throat. Griamore created the shell around Jericho and Guila. The two princesses ran in the opposite direction. Pandora slowly made her way over to Ban and pulled him into her lap.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Never better." Ban said sarcastically. She gently grabbed his hand, letting bright light leave her hand and cover his body. He opened his eyes, confused as to why he wasn't in pain anymore. Pandora swayed slightly, feeling light-headed. Her body still wasn't used to healing people. "Stop. Why do you keep healing me?" Ban asked, sitting up and removing his hand from hers. But it was too late. She was already done healing him. She started to fall to her side but Ban caught her.

"I was the reason you were tortured all those years. I know I can't heal past wounds but at least I can heal present ones."

"That wasn't your fault. If you didn't capture me, someone else would have."

"Doesn't matter. You were still tortured because of me. I know what-" Pandora cleared her throat. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Pandora jumped slightly, hearing a loud explosion. "What the hell was that? That was Guila's power. She did this." She weakly stood up to see Princess Veronica lying in her sister's arms, dying. Pandora ran over, trying to ignore her exhaustion. She was so close yet a lifetime away. She knew she could heal the dying princess, she just had to get there. She tried to move faster but ended up falling. She picked herself up and kept dragging herself over to the princesses. She couldn't stand being too late again.

"Lady Veronica! No!" Griamore screamed, making Pandora move even faster. She didn't know what had possessed her friends, all she knew was this wasn't them. Guila was usually so kind-hearted and warm, but she attempted to kill the princesses without a care in the world. Pandora had to save the dying princess. Pandora didn't want the blood of a princess on her best friend's hands. She knew when Guila woke up from whatever spell she was under, she would be filled with regret; if she ever did snap out of it. Before Pandora could get a step farther, arms wrapped around her, preventing her from going any farther.

"Always too weak, aren't you Pandora? That's why it'll be so easy to take you back to Liones." Jericho asked her friend, holding onto her tightly. The blonde fought against her friend and eventually freed herself from the girl's grasp. She threw herself on the ground next to the princesses, placing a shaky hand on Veronica's arm. She let light come from her hands, healing the princess. But it was too late. She couldn't bring back the dead. Pandora felt like she was breaking. She was always too late to save anyone. She failed to save the princess but more importantly to her, she failed to save her friend's innocence.

A wave of nausea washed over Pandora. She stood up and walked a few feet away, keeping a hand tightly pressed against her mouth. She couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears for a few seconds.

"What are you...What is Hendrickson after?" Griamore yelled at the emotionless knights.

"The resurrection of the Demon Clan!"