3rd Person's POV

Merlin's head snapped up, hearing the faint shouting of her name. She faintly shook her head, 'I'm just imagining things.' She turned her full attention back on Vivian, who she held high up in the air against her will.

"Vivian, do tell me where is Princess Elizabeth?" Merlin asked her old disciple, "S-She's in the... King's room-!" Vivian strained out. Merlin turned around to look at Meliodas with a small smirk gracing her features.

"There's your answer." She told her captain as she released the mage. Vivian harshly fell to the stone ground, a small group of pain escaping her from the impact.

"Hey, she is running off! Shouldn't we-" Arthur began to ask before Meliodas cuts him off.

"Never mind her. For right now, we need to focus on rescuing Elizabeth."

"Then it's time to get a move on." Merlin snapped her fingers, instantly transporting them elsewhere.

"Where are we?" Meliodas questioned.

"We are in front of my father's room." The eldest of the Princesses informed them.

"I did try teleporting us inside, but got deflected. The handywork of my disgraceful ex-disciple." Merlin informed them, cockiness laced in her voice. Meliodas took a few steps forward, rolling his left shoulder with his weapon in hand.

"All right, everyone stay back-"

"Wait, hold on a second Captain." Meliodas glanced back at her, "Even with your powers, you couldn't breach this barrier. It's the Perfect Cube. A spell from the Demon World that can deflect any kind of power, regardless of it's magical scope." Gilthunder reached out, leaving Princess Margaret's side. His armor being deflected with a crackle of sparks from the rather large door.

"That is right, if any of you were to launch an all-out attack, it wouldn't sustain a crack. Better luck next time!" Vivian stated from out in the city, hearing the group's conversation through magical means, "EAT YOU HEARTS OUT!" Vivian cackled evilly in triumph, happy to have finally outwitted her old teacher-

Merlin slammed the doors opened, a prideful smirk wide across her face.

"How did you get rid of the spell like that?" Meliodas asked, not seeming fazed that Merlin managed to do it.

"Using Absolute Cancel, cutting my disciple and the spell cast over this room." Merlin told Meliodas, speaking to him from over her shoulder using small hand gestures. Meliodas looked across the room, seeing Elizabeth standing next to her father's bedside. The young woman was shocked to see him.

"Yo." He greeted, calmly walking forward with his hands in his pockets. Elizabeth dashed forward, bringing him into a hug. Meliodas furrowed his brows, realizing something was missing... More like somebody. His thoughts wandered off elsewhere, where was Madeline? He managed to hear the last of her sentence.

"There, there." He muttered, rubbing her inappropriately.

"Hey!" The King yelled, scrunching up his face in disbelief. Elizabeth stepped off to the side so Meliodas could see the King laying on the bed fully.

"You sure got old, Batra!" Meliodas teased King Batra. "And you haven't changed a single bit, now have you?" King Batra asked Meliodas who shrugged.

"Guess not!" Meliodas continued to rub Elizabeth's backside.

"ENOUGH!" Before anything were to gone any further- Meliodas looked up at Elizabeth, his brows creasing in worry.

"Hey Elizabeth, where is Madeline? I thought she was with you?"

"Madeline, she is here?" Merlin asked the two, honestly not expecting to hear her old student was in the capital. Meliodas nodded, "Yeah, we just recently picked her up." Merlin sighs as she began to search for Madeline's magical energy. Elizabeth shook her head in reply to Meliodas' earlier question, not knowing where the green haired girl currently was.

"The last time I saw her she managed to escape. I told her to go while she still could before we got to the castle. I don't know where she went after that." Meliodas nodded, "Hmm, I thought I felt her presence... She must be with King and Diane-"

"Dreyfus." They all turned to look and see the man clad in red armor at their door.

"What the hell is going on here?" Dreyfus asked them suspiciously, "Hendrickson has been killed in battle." Gilthunder announced, holding Margaret close to him by her small shoulders.

"Without confessing for the crime that he committed."

"His crime?" Dreyfus questioned, his eyes almost as wide as saucers, his best friend was dead?

"I saw it happen. The Dawn of the Anniversary Festival ten years ago. You and Hendrickson conspired to murder Zaratras together. Such an unspeakable sight!" Margaret felt tears well up in her eyes. Dreyfus gasped in shock, "And then, consumed with overwhelming fear, I told Gil about it. Little did I know, Vivian was eavesdropping the whole time. She placed each of us under guard, and we were forced to do her bidding." Merlin hummed, interested in Princess Margaret's story.

"Is that so? So Vivian was infatuated with Gilthunder even then..."

"But now that cursed has been lifted by Meliodas." He sent a brief smile to Meliodas' way.

Madeline's POV

"Lady Madeline, watch out!" I looked above me, gasping when I saw part of the castle collapsing.

"Shit!" I cursed silently in a shout, glancing down to see my hand glowing.

"Propel!" I shouted, grabbing hold of King by the scruff of his shirt. I propelled us forward, escaping the rubble of once was the castle.

"What's going on? The castle is in ruins!" Howzer yelled out in shock.

"Luckily, I can still sense their magical power." I nodded at Gowther, feeling the same thing. I let go of King, letting him have space to speak.

"We must hurry up and join them!" Suddenly, Guila and Jericho collapsed onto the ground, holding their chests tightly. My eyes activated, running over to Jericho to find what was happening.

"Jericho, what's wrong?" I asked her, my eyes desperately searching her wounds for any sign of inflammation or infection. I furrowed my brows, nothing...

However- I was proven wrong when Jericho thrashed against me. With a confused and concerned gasp, I saw the corruption in her brain, the slimy black liquid wrapping around and inter-wovening itself into the most complex part of the human body. It was so quick, my healing won't even hinder it!

"That's not ordinary suffering!"

"Stay back everyone!" I shouted, standing up as I slowly backed away, grabbing hold of Guila's brother, pushing him behind me before he got hurt.

"No let go of me!" He shouted, trying to escape my hold. "I'm sorry hon!" I apologized to him, my grip never loosening.

"I-I don't... Have a single regret." Jericho shuddered out, "Demon's blood or other wise... Power is power!" I froze, eyes wide, is that what I'm currently seeing?! My mind drifted to my brother, he would know what to do, wouldn't he?!

"Madeline, what do you see?" King asked me but before I could answer, Jericho grabbed hold of her throat, gasping for breath.

"Demon's blood..." I almost lost my grasp on the boy, switching him around so I was carrying him in my eyes. He desperately reached out to his sister, heartbreaking to see the one he loves in pain.

"Guila!" He shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks in worry for his older sister. Without warning, Jericho began mutating. I ran back, handing Guila's brother off to Diane to look after, he was frozen in fear, not knowing what to do. I turned my attention back on the mutation, a demon... But it was still Jericho, we had to get her out of that thing!

Gowther grabbed Guila and her little brother's hand before running away just as Diane deflected an attack by Jericho.

"Diane!"

"Hold on King, what are you planning?!" Howzer asked him. I glanced back, seeing King's weapon raised. King was in no position to continue using his fairy magic, especially at high velocity!

"I'm gonna kill Jericho, it is the only way-"

"No! Jericho is still in there! We have to help her, no matter what, King!" I began, staring up at him. "And you can't fight right now, your magical levels are too depleted to go up against Jericho with demon blood in her system!" I informed him loudly, wanting my words to get through his stubborn thick skull.

"Demon blood?!" Diane asked in shock at the concept.

"Probably the Demon Blood inside the New Generation Knights is going out of control!" Come on now, Madeline think think! How can I get rid of the demon but save Jericho, there has got to be a way!

"No! It's being forced to go out of control!" I gasped, hearing the voice of my brother. The demon went flying, giving Diane rest as I rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, eyeing the wounds that have yet to fully heal.

"Captain!" Diane yelled with a smile, completely ignoring my worry and her injuries.

"Madeline, are you alright?" I nodded at Meliodas' question, "What can you see inside the demon?" He asked me. I reactivated my eyes, ignoring the splitting headache I was enduring from using it so damn much. I stared at the demon, searching for any signs of how it 'was forced to go out of control' but, I knew my eyes were made to see wounds inside the body, energies, and basically anything else except for what Meliodas was asking me of.

I soon shook my head, returning my gaze to Meliodas. "Captain, what do you mean by, 'being forced to go out of control' Is someone behind this?" King asked his captain.

"Yeah. Guila and Jericho are only a couple of the New Generation this is happening to."

"Madeline, I need a hand over here." I looked over at Gowther, nodding and running over to him.

"I have to find someway to extract the Demon Blood out of her." I stated, instantly going to work. I searched for the blood cells that were affected by the disgusting blood, briefly glancing up to see Diane once again holding off the demon that had Jericho's life in it's grasp.

"Perceptive as always." I heard the voice of a man, but paid no attention to him. I had to focus on helping Guila before the demon blood inside of her mutates just like what happened to Jericho. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"Damn it... I can't see anything..." I muttered to myself, glancing up at Gowther who was currently by my side in order to stop the mutation.

My heart stopped.

I smelled blood.

I turned on my heel, staring as two bodies fell.

Hendrickson...

H e w a s s t i l l a l i v e.

Gilthunder... Meliodas... My eyes darkened, seeing Princess Margaret and Elizabeth in Vivian's hold.

Diane was struggling to fight the demon off, everyone was struggling.

And I just stood there. I was useless. I wasn't meant for the battle, I was meant for the after effects of it, to heal, save lives. Their lives...

T r u s t.

They trusted me to heal all wounds. To keep them alive and yet...

"You-...!" Henrickson rose his head up, staring at me with a smirk.

"Ah, this must be her. The girl that got away. The Senex." I shook in fury, clutching desperately at the edges of my not so nice skirt anymore.

"Madeline-" Gowther began to speak only for me catch him off guard.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" I shouted, a ripple of fury unleashing from me as I charged forward towards him. I was ready to fight him, not realizing what I might just do in blind rage.

"That's enough!" Elizabeth spoke up, her voice cracking. Just as quick as the bad emotions had enveloped me, they gone the next when I heard the tone of her voice. I stopped in my step, breathing heavily as I stared Hendrickson down, feeling crackles of magical energy at my fingertips.

"As you wish, I will go with you."

"Elizabeth you idiot don't-" I began to decline, "And in return, don't lay a hand on those two!" She walked forward, past my figure.

"Wait, Elizabeth, what are you...?" Margaret sputtered out in shock and fear.

"That's a good girl. Honestly, I was only planning to let Meliodas survive. But I will throw in Gilthunder for free!" I growled under my breath, shaking in rage. I almost lost control... What is wrong with me today? I shook my head, running the rest of the way to Meliodas' side, helping him sit up. This headache was killing me.

"Don't do it... Please don't go! Elizabeth!" Meliodas begged her, having her stop next to us.

"Sir Meliodas.. For once, let me protect you instead." She smiled down at him fondly.

"I will spare the rest of their lives if the Senex girl comes with." I grinded my teeth together, knowing he was speaking about me. Meliodas grabbed hold of my leg, not wanting to lose me to. Elizabeth looked back at me, softly shaking her head.

"Senex, what do you say?"

To Be continued

*EDITED, 04/07/2020*