Two days had passed in the blink of an eye, and not a moment of rest had been granted to Meliodas and Zeldris.
The two brothers flew tirelessly across the Demon Realm's territories, questioning village after village, demon after demon.
But everywhere, the same response: confused looks, awkward silences… or worse, total ignorance.
To avoid suspicion, they had been careful never to use the word "prince."
Each time, they introduced Zephyr as a dangerous rebel.
Just a name among many. A fugitive.
But nothing.
No rumor. No whisper. No trace.
On the evening of the second day, as the skies blazed red above the black palace, the two brothers returned, heavy-hearted.
Meliodas collapsed onto a stone chair, exhaustion written all over his face.
"Two days spent searching the entire realm… Nothing. Not a single lead. I'm starting to believe Zephyr was just a name scribbled in by mistake. Maybe someone just wanted to fill an empty line…"
Zeldris, standing near a pillar, remained silent, lost in thought.
"And yet… it's strange. Not a single ancient demon seems to recognize that name. Not even the oldest ones."
Meliodas looked up at him, eyes vacant.
"What I'm saying is… maybe he never existed, Zel."
Silence fell. A rare weariness clouded both brothers' eyes.
They no longer knew where to look… or even why they kept going.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
A demon soldier entered, visibly nervous.
"Sorry to interrupt, King Zeldris… but… I overheard your conversation."
Zeldris, Gelda, and Meliodas turned to him, surprised.
The soldier continued:
"There might be… someone. A demon. An ancient. He could have answers to what you're seeking."
Zeldris raised an eyebrow.
"Who? Where?"
The soldier hesitated, then simply said:
"Follow me."
Intrigued, the two brothers and Gelda followed the demon through the palace corridors.
To their great surprise, he led them… to the throne room.
Zeldris stopped, suspicious.
"Is this some kind of joke? You want us to bow before a wall? I'm not in the mood."
The soldier said nothing.
He stepped forward calmly… and pushed Zeldris's throne.
"What are you doing?!" Zeldris snapped, defensive.
But the floor trembled.
An ancient mechanism, long forgotten, began to move.
The throne slowly slid aside, revealing… a secret passage carved into the black rock.
A hidden tunnel… unknown to both Meliodas and Zeldris.
And yet, they had grown up here.
"This passage…" Meliodas murmured.
"It hasn't been opened in… millennia."
"Where does it lead?" Zeldris asked, wary.
The soldier looked at them, then answered calmly:
"To where the answers you seek lie."