3rd Person's POV

The two walked in opposite directions, continuing on with their lives away from one another.

A smirk quirked up, before the shadow beyond the trees disappeared, shifting through space, appearing again in sight of one of the Masters of the Holy Knights.

"Back so soon from Vaizel?" He questions her, the magician nodding, "I have news to report."

"Urgent?"

"Yes, urgent."

"Tell me more, Vivian." Vivian clasped her hands out in front of her, taking a small breath in before beginning to state her report. "The landmines were a nice touch in destroying anyone who tried to escape the perimeter, however two individuals managed to escape. I had watched it happen myself- Was curious since these two individuals stood out to me."

"How so?"

"One was able to use magic, spells that I myself have learned from an esteemed sorceress that is now a fugitive to the crown."

"Do you speak of Merlin?"

"Correct. But this young woman wasn't Merlin, however the spells she uttered did come from that woman. I believe this figure was an old student of hers."

"Merlin has only taken you as her student, I do not recall anyone else."

"Would the race Senex ring a bell?" He looked up from his desk, pointed eyes staring intensely at the woman before him. "This young woman would be..."

"Another Sin, Madeline." He stood up from his seat, rummaging through a stack of papers placed off to the side of his desk. He pulled out the wanted poster, staring at the depiction of Madeline.

"Judging by the way she spoke, she wasn't with the other Sins, and had no knowledge of them being in Vaizel as well."

"Follow after her, and report back to me to where she stops." Vivian nodded. Hendrickson waited until she had disappeared, a dark smirk growing on his face, continuing to stare down at the wanted poster. Clutching at the edge of the paper.

-

The journey back consisted of hitchhiking on wagons for farms, casual jogging, taking shortcuts through wooded areas, avoiding Holy Knights she would spot on the road, the usual things she would do when travelling back and forth from doing multiples things every couple of days or weeks, it entirely depended on how many shipment orders she would get, how many people would request assistance at a village that was not her own- It was tiresome, but it kept her in shape when she didn't have the availability of using a portal.

Creating portals were a complex thing, especially when you are a beginner at magic. Hence she was, still was, closer to a Novice now but since 10 years ago she hadn't practiced her skills in magic with much purpose. Madeline didn't hold much a need for it anymore since no combat was involved in her life anymore. The skills in healing have significantly improved, which just comes with the field of job that she has been consistently practicing everyday since settling down in Glave.

The village she was just entering, the cobblestone roads hard on her feet from the long journey of walking and hitchhiking. She will have to do a treatment on her feet to prevent any further.

People she passed welcomed her back, some questioning her how the journey was back for her, as per usual, the people here was fond of her, she was their own Doctor after all.

Even if she hadn't taken up the offer to be the Doctor, she would still want to be respected in the village, it would make living here much easier on her.

Glave was a niche and quaint, quiet, bustling with farmers, smiths, and miners- Making their money to keep the village's head above water. It was tiresome and dangerous work, very injury inducing. Before she had arrived, people who got injured would have to either A. Deal with it by themselves with no knowledge on medicine, making the injury worse, or B. Travel a vast distance the nearest village that did have a Doctor, making their conditions worse to the point of resulting in death.

The deaths from the past ten years have lessened, the deaths now consisting of old age or allergic reactions that no one around was fast enough to respond to in order to get her to them to help.

She was grateful for that, and hoped for one day for the death number to only consist of people that lived to be 80 or past 80. Died of old age, having lived a full human lifespan.

She unlocked her clinic, entering it with a deep sigh, knees wobbling until she finally collapsed to the floor, leaning up against the wooden door behind her.

She reached down, grabbing ahold of her shoes, taking them off after snapping the buckles, freeing her hurting feet.

"Finally home.." She muttered, a small smile gracing her lips.

---

"And this is the Boar Hat!" Stated Meliodas as showed off the tavern to Gowther. Gowther hummed thoughtfully, surveying his surroundings. From the stains on the tables that will never waver no matter how much you try to rub it clean, the splintered wood holding the second floor up, the display of alcoholic bottles and beer, the wide windows to look in and out of the tavern, and the bulletin board that held their wanted posters up. His gaze went back and forth from the posters to each individual, finding it always amusing how vastly different they looked compared to the imagination of the artist who drew the wanted posters. Yet the familiarity of the drawings to his companions. They were over exaggerations at this point in time ten years later, their looks lost to the word of mouth.

"Ah so I see, you became a tavern owner during these past ten years."

"Yes I did! You will be put to work as soon as possible!"

"When I was with Miss Madeline, she didn't put me to work..." He muttered, remarking on the difference between the two. Meliodas, having stood so close to him, heard his words and stiffened up, eyes widening slightly at the mention of the girl he viewed as a sister's name.

"Did you just say Madeline, Gowther?" Gowther pursed his lips, looking down at his captain, "Why yes I did. You two were close were you not?"

"Madeline...? Oh Mads! You travelled with that short stack?!" Ban questioned, curious. King furrowed his brows, remembering the Vaizel Festival and those two individuals. "I did not travel with her. I ran into her on luck a couple of days ago." Gowther informed them all, Meliodas smirked.

"Madeline was Merlin's student, she will perhaps know more on what happened that day." The Sins in the room knew what he implied, their own questions that needed answer revolving in their thought processes.

"Madeline? Sir Meliodas, I thought you said she fled the Kingdom?"

"I thought she did. It was the only reason I could figure out as to why I could no longer feel her magical energy."

"Waaahh! What do you mean?" Hawks asked him, butting his head up against the table, wincing at the pain from the action.

"There was no way she could be dead, she is half-Senex, it would take a lot to fatally injure her. So her fleeing the kingdom was the best option."

"Where did you run into her, Gowther?" Diane asked the young man who was cleaning his glasses off with the end of his shirt.

"In Vaizel, she told me she was there to take the load off of the local Doctor's hands."

"Vaizel?!" Meliodas and Ban yelled in surprise, King's suspicions snapping in him, his doubts were now ashes, confirming what he saw and heard about this Doctor named 'Ares'.

"Gah! I should have went with my gut!" Shouted King in dismay, rubbing at his face. Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion at him, "What do you mean, Sir King?"

"I heard about this 'Ares', with extraordinary skills in medicine from within the crowd. I doubted my suspicions that it was her."

"Why didn't you tell us, King?" Meliodas pressed forward on the front of his feet, stuffing his hands into his pockets, staring dead on at King. "I didn't feel her magical power, and I would have told you earlier if it weren't for the attack on Vaizel." King replied.

"Oh jeez! Did Madeline get out okay?!" Diane asks Gowther in worry. Gowther nodded, placing his glasses back on his face, "We did. We went our separate ways shortly after escaping."

"Do you know where she could have gone? We are currently trying to get everyone back together." Meliodas asked, moving away from the front of the tavern and to the bar, going behind it to grab a map of the kingdom. He unfolded it, pressing it flat on the bar table. Gowther walked to him, peering over the map thoughtfully, looking back on his conversation with Madeline, while also studying the map.

"I believe here is where she told me she now resides." He pointed to a tiny word on the map, the word 'Glave'.

"At Glave... Hawks have we ever visited there?"

"Nooope!" Hawks replied, "It is so significantly small and depressing we wouldn't bother visiting! Bad for sales!"

"That's harsh." Commented Ban with a small chuckle, glancing to the bulletin board before striding over to it, ripping the wanted poster of Madeline off.

"They made her way too good looooking~I call false advertising!" Ban remarked. Gowther scrunched his brows together, wiping his hands on his trousers, "That is very rude Ban, Miss Madeline is a very kind and gentle person. She has never spoken ill will of you for as long as she has known you. Do not speak ill of her looks because they are not up to your 'tastes'."

"Woah, woah! Calm down there, White Knight Goat! Jeez, I am just picking on her while I still can before we go and get her." Ban defended, his defense not that really helping his case. Meliodas laughed, snatching the wanted poster from his friend's hand, pinning it back up to the board.

"Let's go now then! I have missed my little sister!" Stated the captain, a wide grin on his face.

"L-Little sister?" Asked Elizabeth. Ban rolled his eyes, sighing heavily, making his way to the stairs, "Yeah, he calls her his little sister. They aren't even remotely related. They are just both short as hell."

"Be careful not to eat your own words Ban!" Proclaimed Meliodas, watching him disappear up the stairs.

---

11 years ago...

"Meliodas!" Meliodas perked up, looking over his shoulder to see Madeline running over to him, slowly becoming more and more out of breath.

"Oh hey Mads!"

"What are you doing out of bed? Merlin said that you should take it easy!" Questioned Madeline in worry, her eyes activating before pushing the sleeve of his shirt up and unwrapping the bandages.

"I am fine! Do not worry yourself too much Little Mads!"

"L-Little? Meliodas I am taller than you!"

"Still pretty short." He shot back with an amused expression, watching the 19 year old huff at his words. She sighed in relief, clicking her tongue at the roof of her mouth. "Looks like you didn't open up any of the stitches.. You need to be more careful!"

"I barely did anything!"

"You got out of bed and walked outside!" He was taking in great amusement how red her face was getting.

"Aww~ You are being so cute! Like a worried little sister looking after her big brother." He patted the top of her head.

"A idiotic big brother for not listening to Merlin!" He laughed, glad to see the girl was adjusting well to her new surroundings and home. Especially with him and the others. "So you agree that you are my little sister then!" Madeline blinks in confusion, pulling his sleeve back down after tying off his bandages. "H-Huh? I never said that- HEY!" She squeaked loudly when Meliodas easily picked her up, spinning her around. He flipped her over his shoulder, positioning her onto his back. "Meliod-das! Your injuries!"

"I'm fine! I'm your tough big brother after all!" Meliodas didn't hear her denying that title, only continuing to fret over his shoulder, no wanting the stitches to break. Or for her weight to hurt him further. He jogged with her back inside, returning back to his room where he knew Merlin was going to rip into him for leaving so suddenly and without permission.

He went outside to see if any of the Princesses were playing out in garden as they usually did on days like these, but before he could spot any of them, especially one in particular, Madeline appeared, and became his little sister.

---

Present Time...

He smiled at the memory fondly, his gaze looking to Princess Elizabeth as she spoke with King, further asking questions about Madeline and what she was like. Her voice excited at the idea of meeting another sin.

"We will be there soon Little Mads..." He smiled, downing the rest of his beer.

To Be continued

The last chapter before we jump into where the original first chapter started! I hope all of you are enjoying this experience! -Golden