The air was heavy. The forest, suddenly silent.
Zeldris, still trapped in the man's arm, was suffocating. His attacker—Zéphyr, Rebecca's father—tightened his grip with crushing force. Meliodas, tense, kept one hand on the hilt of Lostvayne.
"Calm down," Meliodas said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We're not here to fight. We just want to talk… nothing more."
Zéphyr didn't flinch. His piercing gaze locked onto Meliodas'.
"I asked you how you know my name."
He narrowed his eyes, suspicion growing.
"And your magic… It's neither human nor fairy. You're clearly not miniature giants… and this energy… it's far too dark to belong to the Goddess Clan."
He stared at Meliodas with icy intensity.
"You're demons… aren't you?"
He tightened his grip, and Zeldris choked:
"Me…lio…das…"
Meliodas felt the conflict burning inside him. Act now and risk triggering a war between brothers… or wait and watch his little brother collapse.
But suddenly, the house door slammed open.
"STOP!"
Rebecca burst out, running toward them at full speed.
"Daddy, please! They're not bad people! They protected me when that creature attacked earlier!"
Zéphyr froze. His gaze met his daughter's—sincere, determined.
A long silence passed. Then, he released Zeldris, who dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
Meliodas rushed to his side.
"Zel! Are you okay?"
"I've had worse…" Zeldris muttered, catching his breath.
A new breath of wind broke the tension as the house door opened again. A woman stepped out, holding a baby in her arms.
Her long brown hair flowed in the breeze, her dark eyes shone with a protective, gentle light. Naturally beautiful and composed, she walked forward with confidence.
"Zeph!" she called. "That's enough!"
Zéphyr stood upright, suddenly sheepish.
"That's no way to treat people who saved your daughter and brought her home safe."
He looked away, embarrassed.
"I… yeah. I'm sorry, Miranda."
The woman approached, clearly used to this kind of scene.
"You're always on the defensive," she sighed. "Just because the world knows your name."
She turned to Meliodas and Zeldris with a kind expression.
"I'm really sorry about his behavior. To make up for it… please, have dinner with us."
Meliodas hesitated, eyeing Zéphyr, who still looked wary.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea…"
"Come now," Miranda insisted gently, rocking the baby. "It's the least we can do. You escorted our daughter… And I bet you're starving."
She gave Zéphyr a pointed look.
"Besides… I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about, don't you?"