Chapter 68: Accident and affection

I ran behind Ash at full speed between the students in the halls of the school until we reached the infermary, there were two people laid on the beds, an unconscious Elizabeth and Arthur with his body surrounded by bandages.

I slowly walked towards Elizabeth to check on her, and as I caught sight of her, a wave of indescribable emotion as I felt my heart tightening as I looked at her current state.

Most parts of her body were burnt to a very high degree, and I could see pain in her unconscious face. I took hold of her hand as I brought it close to my chest looking down.

"Is she your friend kid? Dont worry, all of her burns will heal with the help of my spells and healing potions, so rest reassured." An old woman in a nurse long dress spoke.

"Please take good care of her..." I said as I placed down her hand gently and went to Arthur's bed, not bearing to see her in that state any longer.

Looking towards him, he was surrounded by Ash, Claire, Lucy and Feyrith who was with me from the beginning. Seeing me coming, Claire stood from the chair to let me sit on it. Now I was facing my brother.

"How do you feel Art?" I softly smiled at him.

"A lot better I guess..." He said patting his dragon pet sitting on his stomach.

"What happened to you to end up in this state? Your not the type to be beaten easily, not this way at least." I said leaning back on my chair.

"We were having a practical combat class, and Tessia's opponent was Curtis and he shot a strong spell towards her that she could not avoid because of her assimilation problem. All I could do is to get there and take the shot instead of her." He explained.

"What about Elizabeth..." I looked down trying to contain my anger, whoever did that is going to face a great wrath it is. "Who did that to her?"

"I-I dont know... I was knocked out before this happened to her." Arthur replied.

Ash was about to speak but he was hesitant, it was probably the first time anyone here was wittnessing me getting this angry. "M-Meliodas, it actualy was a kid called Lucas. I-I tried to stop it but, I couldn't control my mana at all. It was weird."

'Lucas? Isn't he the kid who betrayed Arthur and his party in that dungeon?' I asked myself looking at Arthur, he nodded his head confirming it to me as if he read through my thoughs.

"Can you tell me what happened from the beggining?" I asked Ash

"Y-yeah sure... Like arthur said, we had a practical combat class and there were a lot of students in there so the teacher decided to choose two team of four people with the strongest students to show the other students the level of difference and prove the strengh of the DC and student coucil. That Baren kid didn't want to fight and Lucy mocked him so we had a small argument but nothing important." Ash took a break to catch his breath then he continued.

"The fight was going smoothly without problems, I was with Lucy and Elizabeth in the team and we defeated one of the student coucil memebers then we decided to split up. I went for Arthur, Lucy fought Claire, and Elizabeth fought Lucas. She was doing very well but Lucas started getting angry and he casted a very strong spell towards her. At that moment a lot of students lost control of their mana rendering them incapable of fighting or defending themselves, so she was uncapable of portecting herself as well while we couldn't save her." He said.

'Couldn't use their mana...?' I asked myself, then I asked the group. "Did all of you lose control over mana?" I asked.

"No, I could still use my magic." Feyrith replied.

"I see..." Something very weird is going on. Maybe it has a connexion to that mana signature I felt during class, a mana altering spell maybe? But what are the conditions of using the spell? Some people had their mana blocked while others not. Should I just kill that Lucas brat, he already did 2 things where he almost killed people I love and cherish.

"Fuck, this is going to be very troublesome." I clenched my fists in frustration.

"Meliodas..." Arthur called, and I turned towards him. "Don't do anything we might regret, we are not ready yet. I know how you feel, and what goes inside of your mind has been on mine for months now. Think about our family."

"I know that very well, I will be patient and wait to see how things unfold from now on." I replied.

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Three days later, Elizabeth finally woke up from her coma. She received her family while in the hospital bed as well as he friends and the director.

I decided to come at last to have our moment alone with no one disturbing us. "Meliodas! Im happy to see you here." She said with a bright smile regardless of the pain she is feeling.

"Hey Liz, how is your body now? Do you feel better?" I asked her trying not to show my emotions, since I am boiling in anger right now.

"Yes im a lot better, the pain is starting to fade away. Also you are here with me so everything is good." She replied.

I placed my hand on her's and rubbed it with my thumb. "Im sorry I wasn't there for you, even after all of this I couldn't protect someone dear to me." I said looking down.

She turned to me, her eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and determination as she moved her hand from mine and softly placed it on my cheek. "Thank you Meliodas for your concern. But, you know, sometimes I need to push my limits, even if it means getting a few burns. Weren't you the one who teached me, not to let people look down on me right?."

My gaze met hers, and a sincerity lingered in the air. "I understand but seing you hurt like this... I cant stand this feeling."

Her expression softened then became a lot more determinated, and she rubbed my cheek with her thumb. "Meliodas, there's something I need to tell you. These matches, they're not just about proving myself." A light blush appeared on ber face as she was unable to keep eye contact.

"I-I actualy do it because I want you to see me as someone strong, someone worthy of being by your side."

I studied her face, realizing the depth of her emotions. "Elizabeth, you don't have to prove anything to me. You're already someone very dear and important to me."

Her eyes shimmered with a vulnerability that mirrored my own. "Meliodas, there's more. I care about you deeply, more than just as my childhood friend." After she said that, she looked down with rosy cheeks "I... I love you."

The air around us seemed to stand still as her confession hung in the space between us. 'WHAT? HER TOO? HOW THE FUCK AM I GONNA DO THIS?' I thought inside of my head, but on the outside I looked collected, yet slightly suprised.

A warmth spread through my chest. "Elizabeth..." I kept looking at her embarassed beautiful and angelic face not knowing what to do.

If im being honest, I love her too, I love her so much that I can destroy a whole kingdom just so that we can stay together, but I was not expecting that she would express her feelings as well at this age.

"Elizabeth I... Dont you think this is too soon and, you are not the only one..." Different things wanted to come but my brain could not process and organize the informations so I just kept quiet.

"Whatever it is that is weighting your mind, we will find a solution for it. As for your answer you dont have to tell me now. You can take your time and think about everything." She replied.

'If only you knew what is weighting my mind!'

Taking a deep breath and exhaling it, I stood up from my seat. "Please, let me make myself clear first. I share the same feelings as you but there are a few things that make me unable to give you a response now so please give me time!" I bowed slightly to her, and after changing the topic and chatting for a while, I exited the room.

My head was now a mess, I always joked about this but now that im actualy in the situation and I really feel lost. Should I really choose only one? Or maybe have them both... How am I going to make them get along and make them agree on this in the first place? "AAAGGHH FUCK! My brain is going to burst out!" I held my head with my right hand while my left hand was on my waist.

"Does Papa need advice from Amaya?" My pet spoke in my head.

"Ughh just go back to sleep Amaya, this is clearly not for you." I told her.

"Humph! Papa no baaka~" She harumphed on me like a tsundere as she went back to sleep.

*Sigh* "What should I do..." I asked myself.

TO BE CONTINUED --->