In a barren wasteland devoid of any signs of life, the unconscious frame of Benimaru rested against the cold, hard desert floor.
His eyes snapped open slowly—almost carefully. The palm of his hand pushed against the ground beneath him, forcing the boy onto his feet.
"So I'm just a tool for them to remember a dead person." Benimaru's voice was hollow and barely audible as he muttered softly.
The kid's eyes roamed over his body in search of any clear signs of injury or damage—it had all been healed.
'You can thank me for that,' the voice of Astra echoed in their shared space. 'But really, you had me worried for a second. I thought you were going to die!'
Benimaru, however, unintentionally ignored her; his mind was preoccupied with a more pressing matter.
'Astra,' her ears perked slightly as she heard her name. 'Thank you… for stopping me,' a heartfelt tone in his voice as a well of gratitude gathered in his chest.
Although initially taken aback by the statement, a smile curled itself at the corner of her lips.
"You're welcome."
In the royal palace, footsteps echoed through the halls as a yellow-haired figure surveyed the damages.
The man's kind and loving eyes had been replaced with pure anger and fury. Once he had reached the throne room, his gaze landed specifically on his younger brother.
The body of Zeldris sat on the floor in a defeated position. The sound of the footsteps hit his ears, but he already knew who it was.
"Zeldris."
The Demon King didn't even have to look back; he recognized that voice anywhere: his older brother, Meliodas.
The lips on his face twitched slightly—maintaining a cold and indifferent expression.
"Have you come to scold me, Meliodas?"
A growl escaped his elder brother's lips.
"You almost pushed him past the point of no return. Do you have any idea the state he was in when he left?" Meliodas's words were laced with obvious venom.
"He pulled a tantrum," Zeldris's words had nothing but a calm edge to them—he truly believed his actions were right. "He needed discipline. He needed to understand that a lowly human—even a hybrid—cannot challenge a king."
A crazed, hollow laugh tore through Meliodas's lips like a hot knife to butter.
"A lowly human? That 'lowly human' was beating your ass. Zeldris, the almighty Demon King, was getting his shit rocked by a child who was in a mental state known to only a few warriors who fought the gods!" Meliodas yelled, full of anger at his younger brother's blind hatred.
"He entered the flow, I'm aware." A sigh of concession left his lips as his fingers flicked away a speck of dust. "But that simply confirms my belief. His human blood grants him too much potential and needs to be controlled. Gelda was my light, and his mother was my pride—but he is a tool that must be controlled."
"So you've convinced yourself that cruelty is a virtue? That pushing him to his absolute limit, severing the last thread of hope he had in you, was a lesson?" Meliodas's voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "He asked you if you even wanted him. And you answered with no."
Zeldris met his brother's glare unflinchingly. "I told him the truth. I will never care for a human. If Gelda were still alive, she would have never betrayed the clan by having him. That is the truth I live by."
Meliodas shook his head slowly, a profound sense of failure washing over him. "You haven't changed at all. I pity you, Zeldris." He turned away, not bothering to draw his own blade. "The boy is lost to us now. You made sure of that."
"Good riddance," Zeldris scoffed.
Meliodas paused at the doorway, his back still to his brother. "I have one more thing to do, something I should have done months ago."
"What? Apologize to the brat?" Zeldris sneered.
"No. I'm going to fight him. I need him to know that he is strong enough to walk away, to stand on his own two feet, and that he no longer needs our shadows to guide him." Meliodas then walked out, leaving Zeldris alone among the ruins of the castle and their fractured relationship.
In the deserted wasteland stood the silhouette of a man who was ready to leave it all.
The child was armed with nothing but the sword strapped to the side of his waist—and the clothes on his body.
Benimaru's leg stretched to take a step, but a tingling sensation hit the back of his neck as a being composed of pure darkness descended upon him.
His head tilted upwards to gaze at the figure. Instead of dodging, Astra was gripped tightly by his left hand and lifted into the air and above his head.
Strange demonic marks began spreading across the boy's body as his Stage Three mark launched into activation. The dark figure crashed into his blade with a loud boom—cratering the ground beneath them.
Blocking the silhouette's attack with an impassive face, it vanished and reappeared several meters away.
The darkness retracting and forming the frame of Meliodas.
"It's good to see you're alright, kid." A smile materialized on his face as he glanced at Benimaru.
Despite his master's kind greeting, Benimaru barely even glanced at him. Astra retreated into its sheath as the boy turned his back—foot pushed forward in an attempt to leave.
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave just yet." One of Meliodas's hands rested on his hip as Benimaru stopped in his tracks.
"You heard what Zeldris said, didn't you? I'm just a tool." Despite the anger hidden in those words, the expression on the child's face remained perfectly calm—he had already accepted the fact.
Meliodas shook his head in disagreement.
"Zeldris's words are merely a reflection of his fear, not your worth." His fingers grasped the hilt of Lostvayne as he drew it from its scabbard.
The blade pointed itself at Benimaru, not in a threatening manner, but to propose a challenge.
"You have surpassed me in skill, Benimaru. You have learned the skills I taught you and integrated them into your fighting style." A tone of recognition was clear in his voice as a surge of pride filled him.
He lowered Lostvayne slightly.
"But if you wish to journey by yourself and depart from us, you must demonstrate your power. You must wield strength capable of forging your own path. If you can beat me in this final fight, you are free to do as you wish—I will never bother you again."
Benimaru gazed at his mentor with no change in his facial expression. Astra was simply drawn from its sheath once more.
"If that is what you desire… then so be it."
The sweaty form of Meliodas was pinned on the floor and lay beneath the cold and calculated frame of Benimaru. Astra pierced the ground next to him—a sign of victory.
"I believe this is enough proof of my strength." Instead of waiting for an answer, he plucked Astra out from the ground and walked away.
While his body remained in a somewhat static position, the feeling of a migraine rushed through Meliodas's brain.
That child had achieved the flow—and the aftereffects were permanent. He had become an enlightened—and his power had soared drastically.
"Unless I use Assault Mode, I can't even touch him." A contented sigh escaped his lips. "I can't believe he beat me in just a minute."