Eret began to grow in size as he entered The One. He then began to approach the Demon King, and each step he took melted the surface of the ground.
"Interesting, so this must be the power that defeated my sons Meliodas and Zeldris, the one that only lasts only a minute," said the Demon King, generally looking interested. "I'm intrigued. Do your worst then; I want to find out for myself just what this power of yours is capable of."
The Demon King then sheathed his sword as he prepared to enter fisticuffs with Eret.
"Poor impudent Demon King," said Eret.
The Demon King narrowed his eyes. "Did you say, 'poor impudent'?"
"Eret, we're here to help, too," said Heather.
"Stay out of this, all of you," said Eret, much to everyone's shock. "This has been a long time coming."
"Let's give him some room," said Hiccup.
Eret was now the same height as the Demon King, and he began the fight by punching him hard in the face. The Demon King retaliated, doing the exact same thing, and so the two of them began trading blows with one another.
"This looks rough," said Meliodas as he placed himself in front of Ruby and Gelda. "You two should stay behind me."
The two of them then struck one another at the exact same time, creating a massive shockwave that everyone felt.
"Have a good taste of this, human!" said the Demon King punching Eret hard in the chest and then striking him in the face. "This is the power of the Demon King! You'll find that I'm in all different dimension compared to my good-for-nothing offspring."
"Possibly, but this is nothing more than pain," said Eret and launched himself at him slamming his fist down upon him.
The blow was so powerful that the Demon King actually hit the ground, creating yet another shockwave.
"Your physical strength is impressive, but I sense no feelings from your strikes," said Eret.
"You're spewing nonsensical delusions, you fool," said the Demon King as he picked himself up and then quickly punched him in the face once more.
The Demon King then struck Eret once more, but he retaliated by head-butting him in the head. He then tried to strike the Demon King, but he quickly blocked and punched him in the chest and then dealt an uppercut. Then once again entered into fisticuffs, and it looked as if they were evenly matched in terms of strength.
"I can't believe that he is enduring Eret's attack even though he is in his current state," said Heather.
"Not surprising, to be honest, but regardless the Demon King is taking damage," said Astrid.
The Demon King then grabbed Eret's arm when he attended to strike him and tossed him to one side.
"The biggest problem we've got is time," said Snotlout.
Snotlout's observation proved true as a minute had passed, and Eret began losing his strength.
"I really must commend you; I never knew there was a human who could manage to hold his own against me as an equal," said the Demon King. "That said, you must understand you still cannot win." He then swung his fist and punched right through his stomach. "You've run out of time."
'My friend, I can finally fulfil my promise,' said Eret.
Eret's body then grew even larger, and more heat emanated from it.
"Wait a minute, what's going on with Eret?" Heather asked.
"How is he able to sustain The One for over a minute?" Fishlegs stared.
Hiccup just stared at Eret. 'Eret, you couldn't have.'
Memories of the day that Eret joined the Seven Deadly Sins soon emerged. Back then, Eret could not control his power and went on massive rampages. Finally, they were able to catch though there were quite a few casualties, chief among them Inquisitor Zaratras.
Eret was now being put on trial in front of the King and all the Dragon Knights. It was taking place in the dead of night, so he was in his weakened state, which confused many of the Dragon Knights who had seen him in action.
"The charges will now be read out loud," said the judge. "For the crimes of repeatedly terrorising towns on the outskirts of the kingdom, assaulting the Imperial Dragon Knights and the Inquisitor Zaratras, who reported to the scene soon after."
Zaratras was there among the Dragon Knights, heavily bandaged and wincing in pain.
"Hey, you okay, brother?" Calder asked.
"I still have a hard time believing it," said Alvin looking at Eret. "Is this young man really the same person I saw in the daytime."
"As well as conducting yourself appropriately when brought before his Royal Highness, the accused will now be pronounced his sentence," said the judge.
"Really? This is the young man in question?" said King Topaz.
The judge nodded. "The gluttonous criminal, Eret, shall be given 1000 lashes and then crucified!"
Eret was sweating in buckets. "There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding. All I did was defeat the monster that had been plaguing those villagers, but then for some reason, all of the villagers were afraid of me. I swear it, and as for my behaviour to the King and his Dragon Knights, I admit I did do those things, but at the same time, it wasn't really me."
"Make any objections loud and clear," said the judge.
Eret sighed. "No, I have no objections."
"Well, I sure do," said a voice. "I would like to take this young man under my wing."
Everyone turned to Hiccup, who had just walked forward.
"Who are you?" Eret asked.
The jury agreed to put Eret under Hiccup's custody, and he was soon taken to meet the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins.
"Is this kid the last one of us?" Heather asked.
"I would hardly call a kid, in human terms, ease reaching manhood," said Fishlegs.
"He certainly doesn't match the descriptions from the reports," said Astrid.
"You've got to be kidding me, Hiccup," said Snotlout.
"I never kid when it comes to the Seven Deadly Sins, Snotlout," said Hiccup.
"Mind telling me who all these people are and what exactly am I doing here?" Eret asked.
"As of today, you can consider yourself one of us," said Hiccup. "You are the newest member of the Seven Deadly Sins."
"One of you?" Eret frowned.
"So tell us, new guy, what kind of things can you do?" Heather asked. "As you can clearly see, I'm a giant, which gives me the ability to initiate the earth itself."
Fishlegs then approached him. "Just to let you know, not all of us are from a single race."
"He's right," Heather smiled. "Fishlegs here is a fairy believe it or not, which gives him the ability to fly and have all sorts of mysterious powers. Snotlout… well, he's a sneaky thief."
"Hey, only because I take things that don't belong to me doesn't make me a thief," said Snotlout haughty.
"Actually, that's the definition of a thief," said Hiccup.
"And the woman and the armour is Astrid," said Heather gesturing to Astrid. "And she's Hiccup's lover."
"Former lover," Astrid corrected.
"She's our second in command and has the ability to stoke up anger in anyone."
Astrid looked at Eret curiously. "You have a combat class of 15, that the same measure of a child. Yet, you were able to overpower the Dragon Knights, including the Inquisitor himself."
"It's complicated," said Eret.
"Oh, he defeated them all right," said Ragnar as he floated above everyone reading a book.
"And this is Ragnar, and he is the most powerful wizard in the entire continent," said Heather. "Plus, me and him have a thing. So you two have already met?"
"We met a few days ago; me and Hiccup investigated the rumours we heard of him and sorted out to meet him," Ragnar explained as he lowered himself.
"Okay, let's say for argument's sake that I believe all the stories about you; what exactly is it that you do?" Snotlout asked. "Knife expect? Bow and arrow? Espionage? You have to have been an assassin, right?"
"Actually, I specialise in poetry," said Eret.
A few hours later, everyone was fast asleep after drinking all night. With the dawn approaching, Eret decided this was his best opportunity to escape before something disastrous happened.
"It's going to be morning soon; I need to leave fast," he said as he left the barracks, but he couldn't help but look back. "There, well, I say as I make my solitary departure. The boy with the emerald eyes, the elegant lad with hair brown as bark. I felt the warmth that only another person can give and forevermore will keep the night closer to my heart."
"So this is the poetry skill you spoke of them," said a voice above him.
He spun around and saw Ragnar floating next to him with a wine glass in his hand. "Sir Ragnar? But how did you—"
"You really should answer a question with a question," Ragnar advised. "Now, what is your reason for leaving?"
"How can you ask me that when you saw my condition for yourself?" Eret asked. "As the most powerful wizard on the continent, you could see that I have no control over my cursed form. Which means at some time somewhere, I'll end up hurting all of you."
Ragnar gave a chuckle. "You think you can hurt us?"
"I'm an abomination; it's no laughing matter. I should never have been born; I should have died long before this day."
"The same could be said for most of us," said Ragnar.
"I'm being serious!"
It was then that the sun rose above the mountains, and he realised he was out of time.
"And you don't think we are?" said Hiccup's voice as he emerged from the barracks. "Granted, this so-called curse of yours is pretty vicious, but I can assure you that none of us are so weak that it can actually tell us, and I can prove it. Just let me test that strength out; I can assure you I can take a punch."
"You shouldn't joke around like that," Eret warned.
"His aura changed," Ragnar observed as Eret became more muscular.
Hiccup sighed. "First Snotlout, and now you accuse me of joking around. I'm being very serious here."
"I'm warning you, turn around and go back inside. If you come one step closer, I can't guarantee that you will survive what will happen."
"Then I guess I'll just have to take a step and find out," said Hiccup as he took a simple step forward.
Snotlout chose that moment to exit the barracks yawning. "Hiccup, what you say we have another round of drinks before we—"
Hiccup then crashed into him with so much force that the two of them went straight through the stonewall of the barracks.
"This is why," said Eret with his fist clenched. "This is the reason I told you to stop."
"What's with all the noise?" Heather asked as she and Fishlegs emerged from the barracks.
Fishlegs yawned. "It's way too early to be—"
The two of them stopped when they saw the unconscious bodies of Hiccup and Snotlout. Then they watched as Eret ran out of the capital towards the mountains.
Once at the base of the mountains, he began pummelling them as hard as he possibly could.
'Somebody! Anybody! Stop me, please!' Eret pleaded. 'But an end to this miserable life!'
Night finally came, and Eret successively completely hollowed out the mountain. He was now in his weakened state, resting amongst the rubble.
Ragnar then suddenly appeared next to him. "Punching away at some innocent mountains? Not the most efficient way to blow off steam. Most people would just head to the nearest brothel."
Eret just remained silent, curled up in a ball.
"I'm here to talk if you want," Ragnar offered.
"Not much to discuss," said Eret. "This is the reason I live in isolation. When someone reaches out to give me a hand, I admit that it makes me so happy. But the moment I tried to use my power to repay their kindness in some way, they got frightened of me and disappeared. Thanks to this abominable power of mine, I always thought it would be best to be on my own."
"I can understand, but why not consider us another option?" Ragnar asked. "We could find the key to controlling that power and use it for something good."
"I have no right for such benevolence now; I have blood on my hands, two in fact."
Hiccup and Snotlout then chose that moment to arrive.
"And whose blood do you have on your hands?" Hiccup asked.
Eret turned around, and he nearly died of fright when he saw the two of them. "B-but I killed you! How are you two still alive?"
"Trust me, we're quite resilient, and you're not the only monster here," said Hiccup.
"There they are!" said Heather as she and the others arrived.
"We're all like you, Eret," said Hiccup. "Misfits in our own way, and we all have our share of baggage. Tell me, does knowing that make you feel any better? If so, you should join the Sins. Like Ragnar said, your power is amazing, and we can use it for good."
"If you want, I will give it to you, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to control it as it always ends up hurting people!" Eret yelled at the top of his voice. "I never wanted this cursed power in the first place. You have absolutely no idea what kind of living hell this ability has put me through!"
Skull then appeared and landed on Ragnar's shoulder. "It is what drove you, the Prince of the Kingdom of Huntheim, away from your homeland. Your one and only confidant, your maid Rosa betrayed the country so that you could escape."
Eret looked at Skull, shocked. "A talking raven? Who or what are you? And how do you know all that?"
"My name is Skull, and I am Ragnar's familiar," he said with a small bow. "And I know your story because I can read your mind. I also know that years later that you have returned to the kingdom, worried about Rosa, but found that Huntheim had already fallen, and you are never able to ascertain her whereabouts."
"Wait a minute, isn't that the little country that got destroyed by barbarians 10 years ago?" Snotlout asked.
"That's right," Eret sighed. "And I'm sure that all of that was my fault. I cause nothing but sorrow; I'm sure that Rosa resents me for it."
"Come on, you don't know that," said Heather.
"Then maybe you should go and ask yourself," Ragnar suggested.
Eret turned to him, stunted. "Sir Ragnar, you know where Rosa is?"
"I am a wizard, remember," Ragnar reminded him. "I can easily track down her whereabouts, the information that Skull got out of you should be all I need to do so."
Eret, at first, was excited by the thought of meeting Rosa but shook his head. "On second thought, forget it. I'm not exactly sure what I'll say to her. Her life was nothing but trouble because of me. She would probably be happier if I were dead."
Snotlout then pulled him down towards his face. "Damnit!"
"Easy, Snotlout," said Heather gently.
Snotlout ignored her and glared at Eret. "Quit feeling sorry for yourself, you wimp! You wanna die right this second?"
" And what would the point in that be?" Hiccup asked.
Snotlout released Eret and looked at him, confused.
Hiccup then approached Eret. "Eret, at high noon tomorrow, let's have a match together."
The next morning at high noon, both Hiccup and Eret stood face-to-face with one another. Eret had entered The One and was radiating power.
"If I win, you join the Seven Deadly Sins," said Hiccup. "If you win, you can leave and do whatever you want."
Ragnar was observing the match from a safe distance, and he was marvelling at Eret's magic power. He could feel the heat from where he was standing and could only imagine what Hiccup experiencing.
"Impressive, even at noon; I'm surprised that his magic can beat this strong," he said.
"Creature, they can die so easily; I envy your fragile mortality," said Eret.
He then swung his fist at Hiccup, hitting him with all his strength and shredding his shirt instantly. Hiccup then immediately took on his Dragonborn form, and when Eret tried to strike him for a second time, he struck him across the face with a powerful kick,
Eret then saw a flash of Rosa's face, and a split second later, he found his back flat on the ground. Hiccup then pinned him down by his throat, nearly suffocating him.
"If you truly want to end your life, I can make that happen," Hiccup offered and squeezed his talons.
"It hurts," said Eret, stunned.
This was the first time that, in this form anyway that he experienced pain.
"You feel pain? It hurts?" said Hiccup. "That's because you are alive and breathing. You're able to do so because Rosa protected you!"
He then squeezed even harder, causing Eret to spit out blood. "Rosa…"
"I understand what I'm saying?" Hiccup asked. "Your life isn't yours and yours alone. How dare you think life isn't worth living, and you can let go of it so easily? That is conceded!"
High noon had passed, and Eret lost the power of The One, not that he was able to overpower Hiccup. However, it wasn't his fighting ability that defeated him; it was his words as they had struck a chord with him.
"I see now," said Eret. "I'm sorry, I still want to live."
Hiccup smiled and released him, reverting back to his human form. "From this point on, if you're ever in a situation where you can't control yourself, I will always be there to take you on."
"This may be bold of me to ask after such a defeat," said Eret looking at him. "But if I may, I would like you to hear my one wish."
Eret then found himself in a landscape covered in strange crystals, and the sky was bright green. He just stared around, marvelling at the scenery before him; it was like nothing he had ever seen before.
"Wow, I didn't know such a place existed on the continent," he said.
"It's good to see you, Master Eret," said a familiar voice behind him.
Eret gasped as he recognised the voice belonging to Rosa, but he just couldn't find the courage to look at her. "Th-that voice is it you… Rosa?"
"Please turn around; let me see your face," she pleaded.
"I can't; if you see me now, you'd be disappointed," he said, looking at his feet. 'But that's not why I'm here. I didn't come all this way just to say that.'
He then took a deep breath and mustered his courage to look at her. "I wanted to thank you for protecting me all those years ago. I'm going to live this life you saved and cherish all my days to the fullest. No matter how awkward or lonely I am, no matter what problems I face, I will do right by you, Rosa."
Rosa then walked towards him and placed her hand against his face, and smiled. "Of course, you will; you've always done right by me. And from what I've seen recently, you're not alone anymore."
Eret nodded.
The two of them then began walking through the landscape as they continued to talk.
"I have to admit, Rosa, you haven't changed a bit in all the years we've been apart," he said.
"You may not realise it, but I've been watching over you this entire time."
"There's been so many people who have been kind to me. There's Sir Hiccup, who looks weak but is incredibly strong, then the giant girl, then there's the wizard who reunited us and a sneaky thief, who is a little bit scary."
Back in the real world, Hiccup was carrying Eret, who was unconscious, back to the capital, and Ragnar was floating next to him. He had just explained that he had put Eret into a trance so that he could meet Rosa somewhere between life and death.
"The capital of the dead that your memories lead you to?" said Hiccup. "You being serious?"
"If you want to visit, I can easily render you half dead like I did with Eret," Ragnar offered.
"I appreciate the offer, but no, I think I'll give it a pass," said Hiccup.
'Hey, Rosa, I promise you this light that I almost abandoned, the one you saved. I'm going to devote it to my precious friends,' Eret vowed.
Back in the present, everyone, including the Demon King, were completely stunned by what they were witnessing. Eret had somehow managed to regain his strength, and he looked stronger than ever. His skin was bright red, flames emanated from his body, his entire hair was on fire, and his eyes burned like the sun.
"What we're seen as not the magic of Sunshine," said Hiccup. "Eret is converting his entire life energy into pure magic to keep his power level full. I think he's planning on burning away the rest of his life!"