Awkward Reunions, Iris's Past

Gowther and Iris, with Nuri on her back, make it to the level with the loose fire boars. There seems to a dozen or so, and a small army of people are trying to catch them. Someone mentions that they think somebody let the boars out on purpose since there's no visible damage to their enclosure. This isn't the first time this has happened. Gowther's about to ask the young lady if they should help when she calmly approaches three of them and pulls down her shades. They make eye contact with her; an invisible force comes from her and hits the boars. They are knocked unconscious. Gowther uses his invasion ability to knock out two more, then they get out of sight before anybody else notices them. Gowther wants to know what that power was that she used, but Nuri speaks first.

"You can use Haki now? When did this happen?"

Iris makes the sign for purgatory. Nuri is beside herself after learning what had happened two years ago when the young half-human transmitted her thoughts to the vulacish. All this time, Nuri truly believed that the two De Santis sisters had been killed, when in reality Artemis rescued them both from the verge of death and hide them in purgatory. This doesn't sit well with Nuri at all, who's never trusted Artemis. Unlike her purely evil older sister, the vulacish knows that the goddess means well, at least by her definition of it, but she never trusted her judgment and believes she's unintentionally doing more harm than good.

"You know I don't like you using sign language with me;" says Nuri; "Use your voice."

Much easier said than done, Iris thinks to herself. She never did talk much, but after two years of nonuse her larynx and vocal cords are already strained and burning.

Iris had given Nuri a really intense look early and had signed 'remove'. She has the power to remove Nuri's curse and they had planned that two years earlier. However, Nuri held back after learning the possible consequences and she had decided to hold off until after their mission. Now, Nuri has that hope again, but she doesn't believe she deserves it, and she especially dosen't want Iris to suffer for it. She tells herself that it's her fault that her friends nearly died, and that she'd much rather take her faint into her own hands.

Iris thinks back to two years ago. She had learned of Meliodas and Elizabeth's curses and was actually on her way to Britannia with Jasmine to remove them. However, they both had to drastically weaken themselves to enter the barrier, especially Jasmine, and to not cause accidently cause catastrophic damage to the island and its inhabitants. That's when warriors from the fortress claiming to work for Artemis ambushed them, including the goddess' daughters. As to what their goal or orders exactly were was conflicting. A couple claimed they were to kill them, while Arwin and Stormy both shouted that they were supposed to capture them alive. Nuri had arrived to help, but another vulacish had followed her. The mysterious goddess-demon hybrids known as the Nico triplets also arrived. The weakened sisters took the blunt of the attacks. Jasmine was pronounced died when Stormy attempted to rescue her. In the mist of the chaos, Nuri lost her rage and created a massive lava pool. Jasmine and the fatally wounded Iris accidently got knocked into the pool. Since Jasmine was declared dead, nobody, not even other vulacish, believed that she'd survive, their bodies believed to be completely secernated.

Gowther detects one of the minds down the hall that was heading to rescue his captain. However, she seems to know these and is being taken someplace to rest. Gowther learns from her where the others have gone. They find the trap door, and Iris forces it open. Nuri refuses support from the oddball doll and insist on moving with her own power, despite barely having the strength to stand.

In the lazy river tunnel, Willie, Hawk (back to normal), and Melidy (on her brother's belly) nearly keep dosing off, except that a number of unexpected waves, waterfalls, and other artificial water features keep hitting them. They've even floated past a couple of other people enjoying the river. Inuyasha also keeps getting crutched and chocked by Meliodas' sleep Elizabeth 'hugging', wishing that Willie or Hawk would take him. Hawk's surprise to learn that his long-time tavern partner has been doing this recently. During the ten years he was with Meliodas prior to meeting up with Elizabeth and the other Sins, Hawk never witnessed Meliodas doing anything like that while sleeping. It was quite common during those years for the dragon sin to pass out in the early morning hours after bartending, drinking and partying for hours; and Hawk would drag him up to his bedroom and put him to bed. Never once did Meliodas try to do anything like that to him.

"Hey, uh...In..u..sha? I'll take Meliodas if you'll hold Mel..."

He floats underneath a waterfall, followed by the half-demons (Willie floats pass the waterfall). Melidy coughs, as does Inuyasha. "What's with all these damn waterfalls and stuff around here. What is this a water amusement park?" Meliodas squeezes him tightly yet again and snuggles with him, calling him Elizabeth. "Please, take him."

They wiggle the dragon sin out of Inuyasha's tube and onto the pig's back as the half-demon takes Melidy. However, it isn't long before Meliodas starts sqeezing Hawk. The pig tries to be patient and tolerate it, but then he actually feels nibbling on his back then a big bite. The famished Meliodas is now literally trying to eat him! Meliodas constanly tortured the poor pig for eleven years with jokes and threats to cook and eat him. The fact that the dragon sin's favorite food was pork and constantly eating it on purpose in front of Hawk made the jokes and empty(?) threats worse. But never did Meliodas follow through with any of that, he'd just smile and laugh (although never funny to Hawk). Now, however, Meliodas has taken an actual chunk out of the pig's back. He hollers in pain and accidently causes Meliodas to sink.

"Oh goodness!" Hawk immediately grabs his friend by the shirt and brings him back up. What's he supposed to do now? Meliodas grabs him again and starts chewing on his ear. "HELP!"

Willie comes over to them and gets out of the inner tube. He offers to put the dragon sin on it. While in the process, they hear a voice shouting at them in a different language. Another person down here relaxing isn't happy about the interruption and creates waves, sending them several yards back against the current.

Inuyasha's tube bumps into yet another one, this one containing a lady. She slaps him and quickly paddles away from the group. "Odd time of night for people to be down here.

"We're ones to talk;" says Hawk; "Wait, where's Meliodas? Melidy! Where's Melidy?!" He hears his sister's screams from up the river. He quickly charges, swimming upstream against the current."Melidy! I'm coming!" He suddenly bumps into something, or somebody. The pig is shocked to see a familiar face in front of him, holding Meliodas.

"Captain Scraps Disposal."

"Gowther?" Hawk blinks his eyes a few times to make sure. "Gowther, it's really you!"

"What's wrong with the captain?" Gowther asked. Meliodas is nearly almost covered in black mass again, and his face looks flushed and even a little sunken.

"It's a long story. Wait, Melidy!"

A much calmer piglet is swimming towards her brother. Right behind her are two figures in red cloaks, both with the hoods down exposing their wet hair. Nuri lets go of Iris, who gently swims towards the pig with her back hand right behind the piglet. As Hawk embraces his sister, he realizes the quite person in front of him also seems familiar. He looks at the familiar shades and doctor's mask, with pieces of wet, curly auburn hair loose from the ponytail.

"Scout, is that you? How did you get here?"

Iris just nods her head slightly, quickly stops the bleeding from Hawk's wounds with her power, then swims towards Meliodas, taking him in a cradle like hold. She feels around his entire chest. Five of his hearts have stopped beating, and the two remaining ones are weak. She can feel the pain he's feeling on the inside, puts her hand on his chest, and seemly starts to suck out the darkness. Inyuasha, having ditched the inner tube, is swimming furiously upriver with Willie, who's actually almost swimming on his own, holding on to his robe. "What's going on here? Do you guys know how hard it is to swim against the current?!" They then notice the stranger with the dragon sin, as the darkness on him gradually lessons.

"Who's that?" wonders Inuyasha, then realizing something's familiar about the stranger.

"Scout?!" says Willie; "You're here." He feels like a great weight has been lifted from his shoulders; "Meliodas will be fine now."

Hawk watches the two siblings. He remembers that he just learned about their relation from Scout's journal just the other day. Hawk had a hard time believing and processing that information. True he's only known Iris for less than a month, but she's so polar opposite of Meliodas, including the facts that she's a teetotaler and has no tolerance for perverts whatsoever. Although Hawk can't deny that they both seem to have the same big and kind hearts, as does Zeldris despite trying to deny that.

Willie then notices Nuri. He starts to cry and swim towards her, ready to hug her, but her look of warning stops him from getting too emotional. He can see the sad look in her eyes, knowing full-well that she really wants to embrace him, but doesn't want anyone else to die by falling in love with her.

"Hi, Nuri;" Willie says as casually as possible.

"Hi, Wildelfredrico;" she replies looking down.

"I'm glad your safe."

"None of us are safe, Wildel."

"Why so grim?" ask Gowther innocently.

"None of your business, doll." Nuri replies rather rudely. She then realizes that Willie is actually swimming. "When did you learn how to swim?"

The monk actually forgot he was and almost starts to sink, but remembers what Meliodas told him and relaxes in the water. "Meliodas taught me the other day, in the Nile."

The vulachish is surprised. "That joker taught you how to swim?! And he didn't try to drown you?"

"No. He's a little more right in the head then Herman."

"Nobody's as screwed up as that...wrong in the head harpy;" she replies.

Inuyasha ignores them and watches with Hawk as the darkness disappears from Meliodas. Soon everybody turns their attention to them, and all the blackness finally disappears from Meliodas. All of his hearts start to beat again as well. Everyone, including Nuri, call out his name as he slowly comes too.

"Hah? Wh...what's going? I thought I was eating...Who are you?"

Underneath her shades, tears of joy fall from the young woman's eyes. She begins to give into the urge to hug her long-lost oldest brother when Hawk jumps on them.

"MELIODAS! You had me so worried!"

The others start to come help, but Iris brings them back above the water.

"(Coughing) Hawk? Am I still dreaming? Am I even awake?"

"Of couse your awake, you nucklehead. You were trying to eat me!"

Meliodas looks very disoriented, he had indeed been dreaming about eating a bunch of pigs, including Hawk. "So, I am still dreaming." His stomach roars so loudly that it practically shakes the tunnel, and he nearly passes out again. Iris catches him and notices the cuff still on his right wrist. She uses her power to undo it. Everybody, except Nuri who already knew, are astounded, again.

"Hello, a little help here;" goes Inuyasha showing his cuffs. She hands her brother over to Gowther and undoes the half-demon's cuffs.

"I didn't know you could do that;" says Willie amazed. Iris just humbly lets the compliment go over her head.

"Captain! It's me, Gowther."

The dragon sin can barely make out the goat sin's outline with his blurry vision and water clogged eyes. He shakes his head and rubs the water out of his eyes. "Gowther, is that really you?"

"Of course, Captain, we've been looking for you."

Meliodas grins and gives his friend a huge hug. "GOWTHER! It really is you. How did you get here? Have you seen Elizabeth, Ban, the others? Zeldris? Are they ok? Are they here too?"

"No Captain they're not. Their fine, aren't they Captain Scrapes Disposal?"

Confusion goes through the minds of the others, even Iris is baffled by Hawk being called 'Captain Scrapes Disposal.'

"Yes, they're fine. Even with that volcano exploding I'm sure their fine. By the way Meliodas, Elizabeth's pre..."

Iris puts her hand over Hawk's mouth, shaking her head and reminding him through her thought transplant that Elizabeth wants to be the one to tell him. She also tells him not to reveal her identity to her brother just yet.

"Elizabeth's what?! You know where she is?" Meliodas realizes that he's really talking to Hawk and grins. "Hawk, it really is you! Come give me a hug buddy."

Hawk's not so sure given what just happened, but Meliodas is awake now. So, he swims over, and they embrace.

GROWWWWLLLLLLL!

"EEK!" Hawk immediately pulls away, shaking with fear. It doesn't help that Meliodas is actually drooling while looking at him with intent. A curious Melidy swims to close to the dragon sin. In a daze, Meliodas grabs the infant piglet and nearly shoves her in his mouth. Iris quickly grabs her as Nuri slaps him. Gowther gets in front of Hawk to prevent him from attacking his captain. The goat sin struggles to restrain the angry pig. Melidy buries her head in Iris' chest, crying with fear.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO EAT MY SISTER, YOU PIG! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Meliodas is leaning on Gowther, hugging his grumbling belly and taking deep breathes to try and ease the pain. "I...I really don't know...did you say sister?"

"Yes, she's my sister. Please say your sorry."

Meliodas notices the frighten piglet and rubs his dizzy head. "Sister, as in born from the same life force cradle as you? Really?"

"Yes, really."

The dragon sin's mouth drops open. He looks over at the stranger holding the scared piglet, then at Hawk again. "Hawk, I'm sorry. Congratulations big bro. Guess she is a girl. Nice dress, masked stranger."

He grins and gives a thumbs up. Iris shakes her head and since the dress didn't come from her.

"Masked stranger?" Meliodas looks again as the 'masked stranger', who shyly looks down, cradling Melidy. "Have we met? What's going on. I remember being in a perfect cube with Inuyasha. Where is he?"

"I'm right here;" calls the Japanese half-demon; "You really had us all worried? Although I don't you blame one bit. You should really thank Willie and this pig, and that goat wherever she is. And this stranger here, they saved our butts and your life."

Meliodas, at the moment having no memory of Caelestis or what she said about his mother, is confused and looks around at everyone. Then his stomach roars again, worse than ever. "Ohhhhh. Please, can we get out of here and get some grub? I really don't think I can hold out much longer." Meliodas isn't the only one who feels like they're about to faint. Inuyasha's stomach won't be quite either, much to his dismay. Nuri's hardly eaten in days, but the two half-demon's stomachs are drowning out any sound hers makes, and her powers are completely drained. She hasn't been near a volcano or bathed in lava in nearly two months, she's completely burned-out all her power. Willie's exhausted, as are Hawk and Melidy. It's the early morning hours, and they really need to find a place to hide and rest. Gowther looks at Iris, she nods her head and puts Melidy back on Hawk's belly. Gowther then notices that Hawk has lost a little weight since last they saw him.

"Living and hunting in purgatory I guess. Not to mention all those picky back rides and taking care of Melidy. I'm trying to take better care of myself and not overeat all the time." Hawk remembers something. "Oh yes, Bluey said to let the river do the work. The end can't be far."

"Further then you think;" gruffs Inuyasha; "we got pushed backed remember."

Meliodas finally realizes he's been in neck-deep water with a gentle current. "How did we end up here? What happened?"

Two people in inner tubes float by them. "Hey you;" shouts Inuyasha; "where's the way out of here?" They give the group puzzled looks, and one speaks in Greek. Willie and Iris both understand Greek and Willie asked again. The man says there are several exit points, but the end of the river lets out at the spa.

"A spa?" ask Inuyasha.

"Maybe that's where we're supposed to met Bluey;" says Hawk; "let's keep going."

"I'm ready to get out right now!" replies the half-demon.

"Same here;" adds Meliodas as his stomach growls again.

"I agree with Hawk;" says Willie; "we should go til the end."

"Let's vote on it;" Hawk suggests; "all in favor of going to the end say I."

"Getting democratic, aren't we Hawk;" says Meliodas giggling.

"Very funny. All in favor raise your hand."

Hawk raises his hand (foot) as does Willie and Iris. Nuri wants to stay out of this nonsense. Meliodas and Inuyasha vote to exit now, Gowther, who doesn't care one way or another, goes with his captain's vote.

"It's four to three;" exclaims Hawk; "we keep going."

"It's a tie moron;" says Inuyasha; "That girl over there didn't vote."

"4 to 3;" agues Hawk; "Melidy goes with me."

"She doesn't count! She's an infant!"

"Nuri;" ask Willie; "What do you think?"

The vulacish keeps her back too the crowd with arms crossed, refusing to answer. Iris gets next to her and puts her hand on her shades, signaling she's about to pull them down. Nuri huffs and finally says they should go to the end, much to the dismay of the impatient Inuyasha and famished Meliodas. Inuyasha huffs and grabs a tube. "Let's go."

Meliodas is very disappointed at the result, but gets onto a float that's not an inner tube. Willie also takes on of these inflatable floats. Hawk keeps floating on his back with Meliody on his belly. Gowther and Iris decide to float and swim without support, as does Nuri even though she's weak and nearly out of gas. Inyuasha floats past Iris. "Hey you, didn't I see you in that shrine the other night? You're related to Meliodas, aren't you? You look just like him? " Iris, who's not under the amulet's spell along with Nuri, only understands a little Japanese, but puts together what he's asking. She barely gives him a slight nod and goes under water.

"What was that?" ask Willie overhearing. Nuri paddles over to him and whispers into his ear.

"Meliodas is her what?!"

Meliodas gives a loud sneeze. "Damn. Are you guys talking about me?"

"They are;" says Inuyasha bluntly as he suddenly gets drenched by a dump bucket. Meliodas laughs when he too is drenched. Iris decides to float next to him. At this point, Meliodas is the only one here who doesn't know about their relation, but she'd rather tell him privately.

"Hey, have we met?" asks Meliodas; "Oh yea, you were in Cleo's kitchen, weren't you? Are you a boy or girl?"

Iris tries to say girl, but nothing comes out of her mouth. She then makes the sign for female, but Meliodas dosen't know one word of offical sign language.

"Do you have boobs and curves?"

Iris actually trips in the water, being startled by such a question, then slaps Meliodas's hand when he attempts to reach for her breasts.

"OWE!"

Everybody's upset with the dragon sin's actions, especially Hawk who for years, usually unsuccessfully, tried to keep his habitual pervy friend in check, especially after Elizabeth came into the picture. Hawk nearly spilled the beans yelling at him but back tracked.

"Meliodas, how dare you try to touch your own relative!" shouts Inuyasha.

Everybody gasps, including Nuri. Iris has wrapped the cloak over her chest with her arms tightly crossed. She looks away from everyone completely embarrassed.

Meliodas isn't sure he heard right. "My what? Relative? Are you serious?"

"Captain, she's your sister." Gowther then realizes that he let it slip. Iris covers her masked face with her hand and goes under water.

Meliodas hears the word sister, but he doesn't take it seriously and laughs. "Yea right Gowther. Nice trick getting everybody involved. Thanks for attempting to cheer me up buddy, but you really need to come up with some new jokes. That trick won't this time."

The dragon sin keeps laughing. Nuri can't take this and furiously turns his inner tube over. Inuyasha grabs him from underneath the water and is about to hit him when a thought entered his head. Gowther's asking everyone to stand down and to let Iris handle it. Nuri doesn't listen kicks Meliodas hard in the crotch. The dragon sin doesn't even try to hide his pain. The other guys look away cringing, except Gowther the doll.

"Really, what's your problem you pervert?" shouts Hawk; "When are going to learn that your dirty habits that you view as playful kicks are so wrong and unwelcomed?"

"I keep wondering the same thing about Miroku;" adds Inuyasha; "Myoga's probably the worst."

Meliodas is helped backed in the float by Gowther. "Can we please save the lectures for when I'm not so famished. I'm really not in the mood for any right now."

"Hey everyone, where's Scout?" asks Willie.

"Meliodas scared her away;" Nuri says bluntly. She makes a serious threat to Meliodas, and he has a feeling she's not kidding at all.

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Iris has swim down river a bit. She's shaking and cries with embarrassment, throwing up some stomach acid since nothing else is on her stomach. She never imagined meeting her brother would go this way. She couldn't bring herself to interact with Zeldris when he arrived in Amalfi. She had no option with Meliodas. What's she supposed to do now? She takes out the locket that belonged to their mother. There's a picture of Isabella, as well as a toddler Meliodas and infant Zeldris. Another was added just a few years ago, also adding a middle section to the locket. It was her as 'newborn' taken 18 years ago. 3,276 years ago, Isabella had been part of the Wiseman Clan of Belialuin, the same clan that would eventually spawn Merlin. After spawning several full-demon sons that hadn't survived due to demon clan's then excessive inbreeding, Barbatos learned that some demons and goddesses who had breed with humans somehow produced purer, stronger, and healthier offspring. Deciding to try that himself, he found and specifically choose Isabella. She was spirited, feisty, cheerful, a bit cheeky, but also kind, compassionate, friendly if a bit shy around strangers, smart, but also a bit naive and innocent. She was also beautiful, modest and chastity in nature, a virgin, and also gifted with water-based powers and healing abilities. The demon king was attracted to her and make a deal with her father, as well as her people, to give them extensive knowledge on magic and other things. Isabella never liked nor trusted the demon king, but was given no choice in the matter, and never willing had sex with Barbatos. Nonetheless, the experiment worked and produced Meliodas. Some years later, deciding he needed a backup vessel, Zeldris was conceived.

Isabella, who'd been kept alive and young by a curse and imprisoned all those years, never got to meet either of her sons face to face, except for pictures or the few times she was able to spy on them. She had been allowed to name her sons and heard them cry when they were born, but she was never allowed to see them, touch, or make contact with them, not even straight out of the womb. When Meliodas betrayed the demon clan, Barbatos was furious and decided to take no chances. He impregnated Isabella for a third time. When he learned that the child, she was carrying was female, however, the demon king went ballistic and decided that Isabella had outlived her usefulness. He planned to have her, and the unborn baby killed, but some sympathetic demons finally helped her escape after so many unsuccessful attempts. They even helped her leave Britannia. She set out to find Azarath, who'd been banished from Britannia not long after Meliodas was born for plotting with Artimes to end the so-called holy war. He had made several attempts to return and rescue them, but never succeeded, and eventually couldn't enter Britannia due to a specific shield that prevented outside demons and goddesses from entering. When Isabella finally located him in Egypt with the help of kind strangers, she was severely weakened and ill from her journey. The infinity spell was also no longer in effect, and she was aging rapidly. When she went into premature labor, Barbatos and his best doctors couldn't save her. They had to cut the baby from her womb, who was very premature and barely alive. The very last thing Isabella saw was the tiny, tiny face of her daughter, said her name was Iris, then died.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances of their conceptions and births, Isabella deeply loved her children with all her heart. She always prayed for them and saw them as the good that came from what was meant to be evil.

Moments after her birth, Iris died. However, Azarath managed to save her premature soul and sealed it for protection. Isabella's locket was also put inside the seal, which resembled a small jar. He entrusted her soul to descendants of Isabella's brother, who has immigrated to Hungary, and later would move to Transylvania and hid the jar in a church. There her soul remained, passed down from entrusted relative to another. Over the next 3,000 years, Azarath prayed and wondered when his niece's soul should be released, however, he never felt the time was right. He also has dreams over the years that somehow his nephews were still alive. Stories from people who'd traveled to or immigrated from Britannia mentioned an expected eternal youth demon named Meliodas, but it was only when he received an unexpected visit from Merlin about 19 years ago that he learned the truth about Meliodas, Elizabeth, Zeldris, as well as Barbatos and Caelestis. A few months after the mages visit, a mysterious earthquake struck the church in Transylvania. Barbatos had a vision and immediately went there. He and the 'souk keeper', descendent of Isabella's brother and assistant minister of the small rural church at the time, discovered the jar to be broken. They then heard a baby crying. There was Iris, reborn as a tiny newborn infant in an identical body as her original! Isabella's locket was around the baby's neck. Providence had spoken, it was her time.

At that time, Egypt was literally crawling with officials and bounty hunters who were after human-demon hybrids. Those in power at the time literally believed that hybrids were the devil's children, especially demon-human ones. Many kingdoms and countries were (and still are) trying to kill of these hybrids and "purify" the human race. Human-demon hybrids have the highest bounties on them. Bounty hunters had even gotten into Luxor's demon realm and killed two such hybrids. Azarath handed his niece (who was born with one human-like heart) over to his friend in Amalfi, Pastor Enzo, who's adopted daughter Jasmine had been praying for a sister. Iris would be safe there. A few years later, power switched hands yet again in Egypt and hybrid hunting was made illegal. Iris and Jasmine made yearly trips Luxor, which became like a second home to them. They were especially close to Cleo, and Azarath was a devote uncle to "both" of his nieces. Both girls consider Pastor Enzo their real father.

From an early age Iris had dreams about her birth, her mother, and two boys that she assumed where her biological brothers. She was always aware of her half-demon heritage but had little awareness growing up of how much of humanity viewed their mankind, humanoid cousins. She had faced little discrimination and judgement being half-demon in Amalfi and Luxor. As she grew, it became apparent that her human genes were more dominant, although she did inherit some strength and power from her demon side. She also inherited her mother's gifts of water connection (as well as reliance on water) and healing, as well as her unique beauty. It's unknown exactly how long her natural lifespan may be. She'll almost certainly live much longer than humans, possible several hundred years. Most likely she won't live quite as long as her brothers, but there have been human gene dominate hybrids who have lived nearly as long as the average demon lifespan.

Azarath told Iris and Jasmine the whole story when she turned 15, including everything he knew about Meliodas and Zeldris. In addition to her natural inherited abilities, Iris has a rare additional gift that had been granted to her as a young child, called the Gift of the Dove. It's the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, that every so often appears and chooses a barrier of this special power. With this gift, she has the power to remove extremely strong curses amongst other things. She's only just beginning to harvest into this power and has little understanding of it.

Iris stares at the pictures in the locket. She puts it around her neck and turns back around. She must force her usually silent voice to speak up. It's time for Meliodas to know the truth.