I may not like Mel's pervy phases, but I love the little face he makes. It's literallythe face of "I give no shits"

"The captain really is like a little boy again..."

Harlequin nodded at Diane's comment before responding with his own.

"It really is odd, isn't it? Even more so that he admires those demons so much..."

"You can't really blame him can ya? He's one himself, and as far as he knows, he's grown up here his whole life with those same demons "guarding" this realm."

The fairy couldn't argue with Ban's point, but that didn't have to make this any easier.

"I know... It's just all so overwhelming. Even though it's clear he's still as kind as the man we've met, hearing his talk like this. Hearing him so proud of the monsters that did this to him.. It almost feels like he's been brainwashed."

"Well in a way, he has. Due to whatever magic cast on him, he's a nine year old boy with no memories of any time after that age, and a life he had left many years ago becoming the only one he has experience with now. So of course he'll follow those customs set in that time."

The group looked at Merlin. She had stayed behind until now to do research into as many time spells as she could to hopefully find the one cast on their Captain, and a means of reversing it.

"Whatever magic cast on him? Does... that mean you didn't find anything?"

Diane looked so crestfallen when asking that, but the mage had no intention of lying to cheer up the shrunken giant.

"Unfortunately, yes. This isn't any sort of spell I'm familiar with, which means it's not any sort of magic that I'm familiar with."

"Well then what do we do? It's only a matter of time before we're found out, and if that happens we might never get our captain back!"

They all agreed with her thoughts and feelings at the moment, however what were they supposed to say to her? All of them felt as hopeless about the situation as the brunette. Because if Merlin the best mage in Britannia had no idea what magic this was? How could they possibly hope to defeat it!?

"What about absolute cancel Merlin? M-Maybe he'll turn back to his original state like Gowther?"

"No. I've done research into that, but I don't believe it would do a thing. This isn't just a spell to give the captain the mind and body of a child, it has in every sense turned back the clock to the point in time where he was in this state of mind and body. Absolute cancel wouldn't work on such a thing because magic isn't what is keeping him in this form, it is merely what triggered it."

"Well, can't we at least try it!? We need to do something!"

Her voice was so desperate and it truly hurt all of them to hear their own emotions voiced. Diane- like most of the others- barely interacted with Meliodas because of how hard it was to do so. She hated seeing his emerald eyes have no recognition for her or any of the others. It was just too much to bare.

"Diane, it's taken awhile for us to earn the cap'n's trust again. He may be a little boy, but he's definitely still got his skills in observation about him. If we do something like that and it doesn't work, we could lose any chance of contact with the kid..."

It was Ban that responded this time, a sad look on his face as he continued to hold the sleeping child snuggled between both himself and Elizabeth.

"W-Well... can't we at least take him home? If we can try in a safer place, a-and if he's in such a familiar environment, s-surely it might trigger something, won't it?"

Harlequin responded to Elizabeth this time as Merlin had excused herself to try something else, and Ban had fallen silent while staring sadly at the boy leaned against him.

"We'd likely run into the same problem as using a spell if we did that. Even though we of course won't do anything to hurt our captain, it will likely look like a kidnapping and cause him to pose full trust in us. And it would put us in even more danger if the Ten Commandments come after him."

"I-I suppose you're right..."

Once again silent, everyone just looked at the blond thought about who was sleeping completely unaware of their worries for him.

"So... there's nothing we can do."

The fairy said grimly while most of the others agreed.

But not all.

"We just keep seein him. We keep talking to him, we keep allowing him to trust us. If we do that, we might be able to get him to come home on his own after awhile... and maybe even trigger some memories."

The group didn't like how flimsy and unsure that plan was, but it was the only one they had. The only piece of hope left for them...

that their captain would come back to his old self.

Zeldris had been frantic after seeing how late it was with no sign of Meliodas in his room. The ravenette was catching up on some work he'd missed and had just finished before his nightly (morningly) routine of checking on the boy to make sure he was sleeping well.

However instead of what usually happened with the child turning in to bed himself shortly after dark with the nannies supplying dinner and telling him to come in at a certain time; Mel wasn't in bed, he wasn't with Estarossa, and he certainly wasn't with the ravenette himself.

Feeling his throat close up and his heart begin to pound harder and faster from fear, he immediately slammed Meliodas's bedroom door before storming over to the headmaid's chamber. Sarah he thought was her name.

He banged on the door multiple times before the thought to break it in crossed his mind briefly.

Luckily she opened it before it got to that point.

"M-M-Master Zeldris? What's w-wrong?"

"Where is Meliodas!?"

"I-I assumed he was with you, sir."

"He isn't! In fact, he isn't even in bed! Have you checked on him at all!?"

Her face paled before she responded, but it didn't seem out of care for the child, but for her own skin.

"Answer me!"

"I-I.. U-Usually yourself or Master Estarossa check on the boy. I-I... I-I-I"

She started stuttering that one word while trying to figure out what to say, all the while gears clicked in the ravenette's mind that made his stomach drop further.

The maids hadn't been taking care of the blond. Not even a little. Zeldris had assumed since dinner was made for the three that the maids had been tending to the blond in his absence, but that was a foolish thought.

Because Estarossa and himself had rarely left Meliodas's side. When he wasn't able to spend time with his brother- a rare instance- the eldest took his place to do so. The maids may have taken care of the child in the past, but now the siblings had been so protective and watchful of the child, there wasn't a moment of absence to leave room for the maids other than sleep. And even then, usually the blond tucked himself himself like a good kid or slept next to Zeldris.

Ignoring the terrified woman and storming back to the garden, the demon hoped and pleaded that his brother was safe and sound. That he hadn't been taken, or hurt, or hadn't had passed out from illness somewhere and was unable to get home. Or that assassins hadn't had...

The thought trailed off there, he wasn't able to finish it from fear of it being the reality he might have to face.

He searched everywhere. The flower patches, the muddy areas from previous rain the human realm supplied, the tool shed, the back end of the garden. He. Looked. Everywhere.

Before finally, he moved on to the forest behind it, hoping he could find something if the child really had been taken...

Only to feel relief and panic blend into a horrible combination at seeing the child curled up alone with a fuzzy blanket in the woods just outside of the garden.

"Meli!"

He rushed over to the boy who stirred at the loud cry before scooping him up in his arms.

"Z...Zel...dy?"

"Oh goddesses, Mel what in purgatory were you doing outside of the garden! You're never, EVER supposed to leave the garden boundaries, you know that!"

"M.. sorry. I was... so tired and... it was nice and... and warm."

Warm? In this weather? Oh no, was he sick? The only times demons got fevers was from very bad illnesses and it actually caused their bodies to turn freezing cold. To the point where even this weather would be warmer than what their body's temperature was at.

"Mel, you didn't eat anything in the forest did you? Haven't we talked about that?"

"No Zeldy... I didn't eat anything.. promise..."

Well that was a relief, but he still wanted the boy checked out by a doctor.

"Ugh.. well that's good at least. Come on, we're getting you checked out to make sure you're not sick."

"M'kay..."

The little one's head plopped onto Zeldris's shoulder before he nuzzle against his neck and fell back asleep fast. Soft little purrs leaving him at being near the comforting scent.

The two went inside only moments after, both unaware of the sins watching the whole interaction with a cloaking spell.

And they were absolutely pissed at the sight they had seen.

Sorry for crappy ending. Still hope you enjoy the rest though! 🤷‍♀️

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