TABÚ (Seven Deadly Sins Story)

The Beasts Inside

"Darkness... Darkness was all I felt. Lost in an endless sea of loneliness and despair. I was no longer myself, turned into one of those things."  

Purgatory...

A hellish landscape where the air is both scorching hot and freezing cold. The sky is blood red and storm clouds cast down lightning bolts down onto anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. Rivers of lava run deep through the land as volcanos erupt at every turn, adding more fuel to the burning flames of purgatory.

We can see a giant black fox-like monster with blood red eyes battling a giant black slug-like monster. The two creatures battled it out, resulting with the fox tearing the slug to shreds and claiming victory. The fox monster continued to roam the land until it reached a cliff. Looking down onto the pool of lava below, the fox saw a dead tree branch slowly being melted away by the intense heat of the lava. Then an image of a familiar fountain appear in it's mind. "Take a lick... for ten years... A mouthful... will grant hundreds of years... And drink it all down for eternal life." A male voice sang. "I am protecting the fountain from thieves like you." A female voice spoke in it's mind. "As if a child could possibly understand what I am." A male voice spoke as the monster began to clutch it's head in pain. "What is the reason for you to drink the water of life?" The female voice spoke once again. "I don't care about who you were or where you came from." The male's voice rang louder in the monster's head. 

"Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be. That is what truly matters. I just wonder what kind of man you'll become."

The male's voice spoke once last time as an image of a white haired man with olive skin tone and gold colored eyes appeared in fox's blood red eyes. The creature then roared out in pain as it rapidly began to shrink in size and turned back to it's original form.

Ban.

"What was I doing?" Ban asked in shock and confusion. His hair had grow excessively long to where it reached the floor and had a long beard that reached his waist. His clothes had long since vanished leaving him completely naked. "A little more, and I would have become a complete demon." Ban stated as he regained his focus. "How many decades has it been since I got here? No, how many centuries have passed?!" Ban questioned as he looked at his surroundings. 

"Captain! Where are you?! Answer Me!!"

Ban called out but no response. He then turned to look at his right hand, and was relieved to see that the white Nexus stone was still attached to him. "Salem, wait for me." Ban thought to himself as he began to walk. 

"Be careful... Of the pain of Purgatory. It'll freeze and burn you... rot you away. It's eating away at your soul. Once you've lost hope, you'll become a wondering beast of Purgatory. Anyway, what's that even mean... to look for the Captain's emotions? Will it look like a soul or something? And what about Salem's heart? Will it look like a heart or something else? Ha! Like I'd know, you dolt." 

Ban said speaking to himself as he traversed through scorching hot lands and freezing tundra.  

"Listen, Ban. Don't whine. No matter what... you are going to find the Captain's emotions... recover Salem's heart... and get back to where everyone's waiting. You're going to get out of this forsaken place with him!" Just as he said this, the ground beneath him broke apart. Falling down the cliff, Ban broke every bone in his body, only to be fully healed in seconds. "That Hurt!!"

"Captain! Where the hell are you?! Hurry up and answer me!!"

Then seconds later a giant black dragon-like monster fell on top of him. Crushed under the monster's paw, Ban was slowly turning into the monster he became once before, but with a clench of his fist, he returned back to normal.