Whoo, almost to Chapter 30! I'm excited! This is gonna be a long book, guys. But anyway, I probably don't need to say it by this point, but I was writing off memory for this chapter. So I apologize for not being completely accurate in regards to the episode/chapter.
"Gah!" Rize groaned in pain as she was tossed back across the field for the third time that morning. She sat back up, rubbing at her leg, which had slammed into a nearby tree and was now throbbing relentlessly.
Meliodas came over, his expression unfazed by the fact that he'd just tossed her back thirty feet. "You alright?"
She grit her teeth and forced herself to get back on her feet as the throbbing in her leg began to slow. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."
"If you say so. That last attack was good, but you should try working on your defense more. And use your magic, too."
She took a deep breath and nodded, bracing herself. Upon releasing her breath, she ran at him, holding her dagger in one hand and extending the other towards him. She focused on the sound waves around him. She thought of Elizabeth's voice, and pushed the sound of her calling for him in his direction.
She saw his concentration waver for a split second, and she took the opportunity to strike. When he turned his head slightly to the left, she ducked to the opposite side and made a swipe for his abdomen.
Of course, he sensed the attack coming, and immediately turned back, grabbed onto the arm that held her dagger, and twisting it behind her back, forcing her to turn around. The dagger slipped from her hand as he held her, pinned, and she struggled to no avail. She stopped after a few seconds, and he let her go. She stumbled forwards, trying to catch her breath.
She looked up only to find him standing in front of her, holding out her dagger for her to take. She did, putting it back into its sheath and placing it back on her belt before sitting down heavily on the grass. "I can't do it." She finally said. "There's no way I could possibly land a hit on you."
"Your magic will help you with that." He advised, crouching down in front of her with a grin. "It sounded so real, I really thought she was there for a second. Keep working on it, alright?"
She nodded, allowing herself to feel a tiny bit of pride at the praise. Meliodas stood back up and stretched, turning around with his hands planted on his hips. "Well, I need to go talk to Merlin about something. Do you wanna keep going later?"
"Yeah," Rize got to her feet, swiping her hand across her forehead. She couldn't help but feel somewhat intrigued by what he'd said he was doing. "Hey, would you mind if I tagged along? There's, uh...something I've been meaning to talk to her about."
"You mean your mom?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at her.
Rize grasped her arm in her hand and stared hard at the ground. "Yeah. It's been bugging me for a while now. She's the only one I can think to ask about it."
He turned back around. "Sure. You can come with me."
She blinked, slightly shocked at his nonchalant attitude. She'd been expecting him to turn her down, but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Rize nodded and followed behind him as they headed towards the town.
As soon as they got there, however, they were immediately distracted by a few familiar faces in the town. Rize stopped, expecting Meliodas to stop as well, but he kept going. She thought about going after him, but decided against it when she heard what Diane and Elizabeth were saying.
"Zeal?" Diane asked, her voice wavering between concern and panic. "What's the matter?"
She turned, recognizing the name of Guila's younger brother. She walked up to stand next to Elizabeth as the three girls stared down at the little boy. "Zeal...?" He murmured. "Is that my name...? I...can't remember..."
"What's wrong with him? He can't remember anything?" Rize asked, her brow furrowing. Diane shook her head, crouching down to scoop the young boy into her arms. Immediately, he curled into her embrace, his shoulders shaking slightly.
"I don't know." She admitted. "We have to find Guila."
"Right," Rize agreed, and the girls set off in search of the other woman. When they finally found her, she was standing with Gowther at the end of a nearby street.
"Guila! Guila! Guila, something's wrong with Zeal!" Diane called to her, catching her attention. Rize had expected her to be worried about the well-being of her little brother, but instead she just looked confused.
"I'm sorry, have we met?" She asked, clearly trying to be polite about it, but the question brought all three girls to a dead halt.
"What are you talking about?" Rize asked, letting her jealousy for Guila to seep into her words. "There's something seriously wrong with your brother!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a brother." Guila shook her head, shrinking back into Gowther's arms, which only served to make Rize more irritated. "This man is my only family."
Diane seemed to catch on to what must have happened before the rest of them did. Her expression hardened as she set Zeal down on his feet. He was crying openly now, and Elizabeth immediately put an arm over his shoulders to comfort him. "Gowther," Diane said, her voice sharp as steel. "You didn't..."
"I did." He answered, and Rize's fists clenched as she, too, realized what had happened.
"You...manipulated their memories?" She asked, not wanting to believe he would do something so cruel.
"It was a necessary action to take in order to build a relationship with Guila." He began. "I concluded that her brother's existence wasn't needed, and so I erased him." Rize grit her teeth, gearing up to punch him, but Diane held her back, looking for all the world like she was going to do the same thing.
Unfazed by their anger, Gowther continued. "I want a heart of my very own, one that can comprehend emotions. I have been attempting to learn about friendship from the Captain and Ban, but in the midst of their battle the other day, I witnessed an even greater emotion with my own eyes; love. I decided then that I should study love, not friendship. And for that, this woman suited my needs perfectly."
"Wait a minute," Diane's face was turning red with anger now. "You mean you faked saving Guila as she was about to turn into a demon?"
If possible, that made Rize even angrier than before. She'd been right there with him when he'd done what she'd thought was preventing her from transforming. It was infuriating to think that this had always been his goal.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She cried, fighting back the angry tears.
"I don't know what you are getting angry. I did save her. What causes demon's blood to rampage are feelings of inferiority, and rage at oneself for being weak." He touched her cheek lightly, and it would have looked affectionate if not for the circumstances. "After erasing such troubling memories, I replaced them with memories of being my betrothed, having a happy childhood, and becoming a Holy Knight on her own merits. Though it took a long time, the procedure was flawless."
Diane snapped then, her fists clenched as she stomped forwards to get in his face. "I don't care what reasons you had to do this, but it is never okay to manipulate somebody's mind!"
"Guila's previous memories were filled with pain and suffering." He defended. "Are you still going to tell me that she'd be happier with her real ones intact?"
"Of course she would!" Rize shouted. "Those memories were painful, but she made them Zeal, and so they're precious! You can't just take them away, understand?"
"Incomprehensible," Gowther disagreed, adjusting his glasses. "The love Guila and I share does not require such an existence."
"This is getting nowhere." Diane said, turning to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, Rize, you two go get the Captain or Merlin here."
"But, Diane--"
"Just do it! Hurry!"
"Right. Come on, Elizabeth!" Rize called, turning and running as the two Sins began to fight. Rize resisted the urge to turn and stay, instead forcing herself to run in the direction she'd seen Meliodas go when they first arrived in town.
That idiot, She thought to herself. I just can't believe he would do something like this.
