But both of the sides,

Fighting me,

So angel, monster,

Bye, bye,

No,

Both of the sides,

Bye, bye.

-WDL, Monster Vs. Angel

Part Three: The Aftermath

Elizabeth stretched her legs out, the limbs tangling in the plush material comfortably. Her wings were spread out behind her, their weight supported on the cushion of the mattress. She tilted her chin upwards, rubbing her face against the silk covering of a down pillow. The scent of sex and incense was heavy in the air, tickling the goddess's nose as she stirred in a half-awake, half-asleep state.

Morning songbirds could be heard singing gleefully outside, a slight clink from metal hitting porcelain reverberated through the room. Elizabeth stretched out her arm towards where the male had been hours before, only for her fingers to graze against cold covers. She opened her eyes, the invading morning light causing her sleep-heavy lids to water.

She was alone, the other half of the bed made up perfectly.

The clink sound resonated again and Elizabeth pushed herself out of bed lazily. The heavy blankets that covered her naked form slid down her body, pooling at her waist as she shimmied to the edge.

She let out a yawn, stretching her wings and rubbing her eyes as she stood up, the cool stone floor jolting her senses. She pushed aside the golden drapes, uncaring of her nakedness.

"Good Morning, my Lady." The goddess woman smiled, a cup of tea held delicately in her hands. "I trust you slept well?"

Elizabeth's face burned and she quickly grabbed the drapes to cover herself. "I-I didn't think it would be you!"

The woman smiled, a slight laugh escaping from her pressed lips. "Of course, my Lady. How are you feeling today?"

Elizabeth located her dress which was laying crumpled and tattered at her feet. She quickly reached for the garb, pulling it over her body with one motion and tying the hem to her waist to hide her lower regions from sight.

"Now that I think about it…" Elizabeth started. "I feel really… I guess, relaxed? Happy? I don't know how to describe it."

The goddess woman handed her the tea, the warm steam dancing around the rim of the cup and into the air, bringing with it the scent of sweet citrus and hibiscus. Elizabeth ran her thumb around the edge of the cup, the steam seemingly dancing around her digit.

It was true. Elizabeth did feel different. She felt complete, like something that she never knew had been missing was suddenly found. The world had seemed brighter, it's colours and sounds sharper, clearer. Though, one thing tugged at the back of her mind.

"Where's Meliodas?"

The goddess woman flinched, just enough to be noticed, as if she had been taken off guard. She turned her back to Elizabeth, arranging a bouquet of flowers on the table behind her. "The ritual has been completed. He has been escorted out."

"And what will become of him?"

"He has received his reward and will live out the rest of his life in comfort."

"Oh…" Elizabeth lowered her gaze, the goddess woman watching her movements carefully. "I would have liked to spend some more time with him…"

The goddess woman's large wings twitched, her motions stilled. "He has left, and it is time for us to leave as well." She turned, the same sweet smile plastered to her face. "It would do you best to forget about him, dear. The human's do not live long, and he will not remember the night."

Elizabeth stilled her fingers that had been absentmindedly tracing the fine details of the china. She was right, she had told her herself that they would wipe his memories after the night was over. But, he wasn't a human – and from what Elizabeth understood their magic didn't have the same effects on his clan as it did the others. She brought her drink to her lips, her night with Meliodas replaying in her mind.

She knew this would happen, that she would have to leave and report back to her mother… yet, somehow, she still felt sad.

Steam condensed on her still fingers, small pearls of warm water forming over her skin. "By the way, I think you should check on security for future rituals."

"Why is that?" The woman asked genuinely.

"The drinks yesterday were drugged." Elizabeth continued as she brought the tea to her lips, the woman adjacent to her still as a stone. "It was a good thing we had noticed or I may not have survived the night."

Elizabeth wondered how he was able to detect something so slight that even she couldn't. Normally she could feel the taint – the lingering malevolent thoughts, the poison's impure signature. Were demon's senses keener towards such things? Maybe he just smelt it?

She inhaled her drink deeply, nothing but citrus and hibiscus. She remembered the warmth of her fingertips against the cool china, the sizzle as her powers cleared the taint. She closed her eyes, her power rising in her fingertips again, mimicking her actions from the night before.

A burning smell stung her nose, her finger's receiving electric shocks from where they made contact with the object. Her eyes shoot open, the woman's smile fading to something darker, angrier.

"It was only a mild sedative." The woman began, "It would have had no effect on you."

"B-but why?" Elizabeth watched the burned away drug of her tea evaporated in the air.

The goddess cocked her head to the side, as if the answer was obvious. "It's a precaution. The human's may have ulterior motives. It is to keep us safe."

"And now?"

The woman paused, her body unmoving save for her wings which seemed to flutter with her agitation. "A test."

A lie. Elizabeth thought, a voice almost not her own. She could feel the world around her shift and warp. Had this woman always seemed so aloof, so uncaring? Her words crass, a sting to them that cut through the air like knives. Elizabeth had compared her to a mother figure just yesterday, but now, she couldn't trust her.

"We shouldn't linger here too long. There is much to do back in the goddess realm." The goddess was cold, to the point. "Each minute we spend here is another the demon's use to grab hold over Britannia."

As if being summoned two more goddesses clad in armor entered the room, no doubt her escorts. The air around her shifted wearily, as if the earth itself were trying to convey something to her. Was this what it felt like to connect with the power of the land, or something else entirely?

Her hair's stood on end. Never before had she felt this way, much less from her own kin. Her night with Meliodas had changed something in her, had allowed her to see passed some of her innocence into the ugly truth below.

But she was next in line to the throne. She had to power to change the corruption from within. She held sway, all she had to do was utilize it to the fullest of her abilities.

The sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon when Meliodas was awoken by a suffocating energy. He could feel the fire deep within him begin to spread, the familiar heat in his veins growing stronger by the second. He was quickly getting closer to his time limit. Soon, his full power would be unleashed and his identity would surely be revealed to the goddesses.

His eyes felt like lead and he struggled to open them. His limbs wouldn't respond to what he was telling them to do, his movements sluggish and clumsy. Pieces of information clicked into place. The reason for the drugs, the tournament, the treasures, why each participant died soon after.

The goddesses were robbing people's life from them, adding it to their own. They needed strong participants to get optimal results, the trade-off for their very lives a couple months' worth of luxury and broken families.

His returning power's slowly brought feeling back to his limbs and he rose slowly from the bed. The goddess beside him did not stir in the slightest. He looked over her sleeping face, her skin illuminated by moonlight that shone through the drapes. She had a necklace of small bruises on her collar bone, her lips were parted slightly, her hair a tangled halo above her head on the pillow.

He contemplated killing her there for a moment, his hellblaze itching just under his fingertips, but he held it back. She could have sold him out, he was quite literally in the belly of the beast – it would have been easy to let slip his identity once she discovered it for herself. She could have fought him herself, she could have easily slain Estarossa as well, but she stayed her hand.

He grabbed his things, opting to go shirtless rather than wear that stupid green shirt again. He looked over Elizabeth once more, his heart swelling once more with that full feeling. He absentmindedly brushed a stray silver lock behind her ear, leaning in and pressing his lips to her temple. She stirred slightly, his lips perking as if she was trying to kiss him back, a small smile to cracking on his face from her subconscious response.

He leapt out of the window and into the night sky, landing gingerly on the ground below. His hearts ached for him to stay, to hold the goddess in his arms as he whispered sweet nothing's into her ear, his finger's lazily combing through her long hair. He quickly shook the images from his mind. Tonight was tonight. He had gotten what he had come for – even if he left with more than he had bargained for.

200 long years had passed since then. Not a day went by that Meliodas didn't imagine the goddesses face, be it in passing memory or careful contemplation.

Whenever stress from his station had warped his mind he would see her face, imagine her form leaning against him, hear her voice in his ear telling him everything would be alright.

Other times, when the heat of battle - or even just when his blood - ran too hot he would imagine her in more sultry ways. Naked, panting his name, her finger's scraping against his back, the feel of her slick tightness as she rode him.

Sometimes he would see a flash of silver on the human's city streets or in the corner of his eye on the battlefield. He wondered if she had joined the efforts yet or if they had locked her up in some tower just waiting for some dragon to come steal her away…

In the end he never officially reported about the ritual the goddesses had been putting on – nor had he caught word of one going on in decades. Whenever he did catch word it was over with before he even had a chance to arrive.

In the meantime, he occupied most of his time traveling Britannia.

Estarossa often followed him on his travels, as he did now. His younger brother falling into step behind Meliodas as they walked a worn down dirt path. They were currently between cities, no real destination in sight other than whatever town lay closest.

Suddenly the air ran cold. A faint energy carried on the breeze from the woods beyond the brothers. Estarossa seemed to pick up on it too, his right hand gripping to his sword and swallowing hard. Meliodas took hold of his own weapon, nodding towards his younger brother. We're going.

The two took to the shadows, falling in line behind the thick bush in hopes to take the source of the energy off guard. It had notes of goddess, though something was off. The feeling had Meliodas' mind racing, the familiarity of the aura sending bone chilling anxiety down his spine and stiffening his body.

They reached a clearing beyond the thicket, the towering trees giving way to meadow flowers and crumbling marble. Before them lay a grand coliseum, long forgotten with the passing of eras. Broken statues heads that stood much taller than him littered the ground, ivy and fauna growing up the stone and inside of cracks. Dirt gave way to stone tiles, darkened from the elements. A grand viewing area stood towering around a central stage, the white marble steps leading high into the sky.

The aura permeated through the air around them, the familiar twinge to it making Meliodas' heart race. He rose his right arm signalling Estarossa to stay put and hidden away. He knew his brother would obey -no matter how reluctantly – allowing for him to walk into the amphitheatre alone.

He released his grip from the hilt of his sword, the scabbard going slack against his hip. He squared his shoulders, pushing out his senses to feel for the energies source; to feel for her.

The energy moved, rushing from its position north to directly overhead.

She was just as radiant as in his memories. The blue of the clear sky at her back outlining her wings, her hair flying behind her from a breeze. She was wearing something he would have expected a human to wear as supposed to a goddess - a skin tight top, short skirt and colourful tights.

She was in front of him in a blink of an eye and he found himself frozen by her. Her eyes seemed to glow, her intense gaze sharp on him. She had a glowing hand on him in a second later, the burn of her ark sizzling against his cheek.

He made no effort to move, instead staring her down as she did the same, black meeting sapphire.

"How did you find this place?" She asked firmly, her ark coming closer to his temple.

He blinked incredulously, taken aback by her reaction. Had she not remembered him, or had the goddesses done something to her to make her forget, like they did with the humans?

"Elizabeth?" He asked, his tone steady.

"How do you know of my name?" She asked again, though she backed away a fraction. Her face contorted in confusion and she took another step back, her hand moving to her head. Meliodas didn't move as she staggered. He knew he could take a blow from her, but Estarossa would surely come out blades blazing if he were to get blown away by her magic.

"I-I know you… Don't I?" Elizabeth lowered her hand from her face, studying his own with a purpose. So they did do something to make her forget.

"Don't move." He said calmly, taking an experimental step forward to see how she would react. When she didn't flinch back he moved quicker. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He placed both hands on either side of her head and willed his power forward. Demons were immune the goddesses brainwashing, the nature of his power worked to drive away the block they had set up.

Before he had a chance to lower his hands Elizabeth's face lit in recognition, the suppressed memories flooding back to her in waves.

She threw her arms around Meliodas' neck, the entirety of her weight colliding into his own and knocking him backwards. They landed hard against the marble tiles of the theatre, a mixture of clumsy limbs and feathers.

Warmth dripped onto Meliodas' cheek and he was aware of her soft sobs.

"Welcome back." He teased, a soft smile tilting his lips upwards. His hearts were racing in his chest, their thumps reverberating in his ears.

"Meliodas!" Elizabeth sobbed out, drawing him closer to her as she drew him closer to her, tightening the embrace. He snaked his own arms around her form, revealing in the feel of her, the curve of her hips, the dip of her spine, the space between skin and wings.

"I-I've wanted to see you again, all this time." She said earnestly, the tears still fresh against her skin.

"Me too." He replied, dragging a thumb against the liquid and wiping it from her face.

Estarossa could be heard running towards the two, the metal sound of his sword being pulled from its scabbard echoing off the marble structure. Elizabeth raised her gaze towards the second demon, not a trace of fear in her eyes as she rose to her full height, Meliodas doing the same.

"You're the brother!" Elizabeth chimed. "My, how you've grown!"

Realization dawned on Estarossa, "You're that goddess from all those years ago…" He lowered his sword, a baffled expression clear as day on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Elizabeth explained her situation amongst the goddesses, how she was treated as an outcast and rarely called upon to help in the war efforts because of her caring nature. She had relayed how she had found the heaven's theatre - as she called it - and how she had been coming there for years when she needed to clear her head.

Meliodas relayed his own accounts of the past 200 years, though his time was mostly spent between taverns or the battlefield. At the end as they parted ways they agreed to meet back there periodically, Estarossa choking back his words, a furious blush staining his cheeks and Meliodas agreeing solemnly before taking off to the skies, returning to their clans, their war, and to their efforts to destroy the other.

Loud, drawn out moans sounded around him as Elizabeth writhed and twisted under his careful movements. Her hands flew to his hair, tugging hard as Meliodas licked over her sensitive bud.

They had been meeting in secret for months. At first they would just talk, catch up on each other and part ways. With time they started meeting more frequently, often without Estarossa. Eventually their secret meetings had evolved into needy sex, both of them too overwhelmed by their time apart to resist the other.

"Me-Meliodas! I'm serious!"

Meliodas hummed into her core, her fingers clenching around his scalp hard. "About what again?"

"We can… We can put an end to this…" She panted as he inserted a wet finger into her, the sudden sensation making her toes curl. "We can… end the war."

"And how is that exactly?" He hummed into her slowly, deeply, the vibrations shooting like hot electricity up her spine.

"You can… Oh… Join me. We can… Do it together…" She struggled to get the words out passed her moans, her mind quickly devolving to mush when Meliodas inserted a second finger, quickly followed by a third.

"I could." He gave a long, thoughtful lick as he pumped in and out of her slowly, each stroke making Elizabeth see stars as the cord in her belly winded tighter and tighter. "But I'm not fully convinced."

He withdrew his fingers and stilled his tongue earning a dissatisfied grunt from Elizabeth. The sudden halt of the affections leaving her feeling cold and empty. A sly grin crossed his face, his eyes held a mischievous glint to them.

"And what can I do to convince you?" She asked as she crawled over to him.

He leaned back, his hellblaze that had been cloaking his body like clothes receding back to give her access. She ran her fingers delicately over his chest and he shivered until her touch. "Show me why it'll be worth my time."

She grabbed hold of him, gently palming the burning flesh of his manhood and stroking up and down slowly, methodically. She crawled over him, locking her lips over his own in a messy kiss. She ran her thumb over the tip of his cock, gathering a drop of pre-cum and swirling it around the organ.

A deep groan purred from deep in his throat, she knew this always drove him crazy. "And how can I do that." She asked lowly in his ear, his cock twitching in her grip from the action.

He grabbed hold of her hips, his lips crashing in her own as he lined her up with him. He entered her in one quick motion knowing she could handle it. Elizabeth moaned and he greedily drank it up as he flicked his tongue against her lips, asking for entrance.

Elizabeth picked up her pace, leaning against his chest to support her weight as she rose and fell against him. The sound of wet flesh making contact echoed around them like a lewd song.

He thrust up into her, each successive thrust eliciting a louder moan from the goddess. Without breaking his pace, he flipped her off of him so she was on her hands and knees. He entered her again from behind, wrapping a strong hand around and caressing her sensitive bud as he continued his pace.

She tightened around him, her mind going blank from the overload on her senses. The cord in her snapped without warning, her arms giving out from under her as she dropped to the marble below her, her body convulsing uncontrollably.

Meliodas leaned over her, taking her breasts into each hand as he reached his own end, pulling out of her and releasing his seed against the seats of the theatre.

He brought her to his lips, bringing her into a hungry kiss, both of them sweating and panting. He wrapped her in his arms, her wings trembling beside her as they came down from their highs.

"I'll do it." He said once he had the strength to do so, his hearts beating in his ears loudly.

Just like that, he had finally taken the final step in abandoning his father – in paving his own path. To say he was terrified would be an understatement.

Meliodas felt the rise and fall of the woman in his arms, her breaths steady as she fought to stay awake. Until her he had never had anything precious to him, so important to him that he would fight to keep it. He had owed so much to her, and he was determined to pay her back in full.

"I love you." Elizabeth murmured against his chest, her voice heavy with fatigue.

"I love you too." Meliodas said, wrapping his arm around her and kissing the top of her head. He meant it. He loved her, maybe more than he would like to admit.

He would do anything to protect her, no matter what that meant or where it brought him.

He would fight for her for the rests of his days. He knew this with every fibre of his being.

He wrapped his arms around her as he felt his own lids fall, relaxation overtaking him.

For better or for worse, he would be by her side. That was a promise.