Devoid

Hydra pt4

Meliodas watched as his little brother's body slammed against the cliff. He heard his neck snap and saw his body fall limply to the ground. He could tell the younger Demon was unconscious. Zeldris's eyes were slightly open and his breathing was ragged. Most telling of all however, was the fact that he didn't react at all to the Hydra he had now gained the attention of. The Hydra swung one of its remaining heads around to look at its new prey. But Meliodas couldn't move. He just floated there, his wings had stopped moving and the other thing that kept him in the sky was his subconscious telling his darkness to levitate him.

As he realized all the things he'd just witnessed, he began to feel strange. He swore all seven of his hearts stopped for a moment, then started again. But instead of their normal rate, the heartbeats went faster and faster. Along with his hearts, his breathing also came faster. His body shook, his hand clenching around the hilt of his sword as his shoulders drew in and he tried to stop. He knew what this was. He'd felt it once before.

"Forgive me, my prince. I've failed you."

"Filthy traitor. Vanish from my sight."

"Father! Please, no! Please, Father, don't–"

He couldn't stop him. He couldn't save him. He couldn't do anything.

Blood splattered.

He screamed. The red and blue-eyed heads turned towards him and in a split second, they were cut off and burned. The other four were still focused on his defenseless younger brother. They all prepared to spit acid at him, but Meliodas blocked them, appearing in front of them just as they spit. He picked up Zeldris and flew him to the top of the cliff. He could feel his hearts beating and that shook him out of his rage a bit. Zeldris was alive and he wouldn't die. Meliodas could protect him.

He laid him down, propped up on a downed tree. He then returned to the Hydra. "Ancient One," he hissed furiously. "I hath given thee plenty of chances to turneth back. Now, thou shalt die." The Hydra gave a hissing laugh. "A hatchling slaying an Ancient? How arrogant, little one. I shall kill you and the younger hatchling and make my way to the capital." Meliodas's temper exploded. His power level skyrocketed and the sheer force of his magic incinerated his clothes. His darkness spread, covering his lower half. His Demon Mark expanded as well, taking up the majority of his forehead. "Thou. Shall. DIE!!!" He thundered.

The Hydra's eyes widened and it backed away from the enraged prince. "You...that power...you are–!" Before it could finish, Meliodas cut off it's remaining heads and set the rest of it's body ablaze with Hellfire. "I am the Crown Prince of the Demon Clan. It wouldst be wise to watcheth thy tongues when thou speakest to me, serpent." He told the burning corpse. He turned away and flew upwards to retrieve his brother. He landed before him and reached down to check his injuries more throughly. As he figured, Zeldris's neck was broken. But now that the threat was dealt with, he wasn't too worried about that. Demons were sturdier than the other pitiful Clans. Broken necks meant nothing but a massive crick in their neck and a pounding headache when they woke up.

Meliodas felt along his neck and saw that the younger's darkness was already mending the damage. He sighed. The acid hadn't reached him either. Zeldris was probably just unconscious because this was the first time he'd gotten a broken neck. It's a huge shock the first time. But, as he grew older, he'd get used to it. Meliodas scooped him up in his arms and winced as there was a sharp pain in his left shoulder. When he looked, he realized that while the acid hadn't reached his little brother, it had reached him. There was a massive hole in his left shoulder. I must have been instinctively using levitation this entire time, he thought. That's going to be a hellhound's ass to heal. He'd have to wash the acid out before he could fully heal.

Walking into court with a giant hole in his shoulder, displaying his weakness for all to see wasn't a pleasant thought. He sighed. Damn it all. Ghostasu Form it is, then. He dissolved both his and Zeldris's bodies and left the forest behind after dousing the Hellfire. There'd be hell to pay from their father if Meliodas's Hellblaze burned the entire forest down.

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Meliodas arrived in his room about 15 minutes later and materialized. He gritted his teeth at the pain in his shoulder and went to put Zeldris in his own quarters. But, he stopped short of opening his door when he sensed someone standing behind it. "What is it?" He snapped. "Th-the King wishes to speak to you immediately, Prince M-Meliodas," the servant stammered nervously. Meliodas resisted the urge to set the messenger ablaze like he did the Hydra. His father hated when he left and returned to the castle in Ghostasu Form, due to the fact it was harder to track. It left his father, who normally knew exactly where his son was and what he was doing at all times, with a fuzzy picture. And considering he'd already be irritated with his use of Ghostasu, it'd be best not to push him by killing his messenger.