The Nymph's Redemption: Acantha's Journey (7ds fanfiction)

Chapter Twelve: A New Enemy Emerges

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As the sins and Acantha were walking back to the tavern, they bumped into the three holy knight males they came to be friends with. They all talked, trying to figure out why Dreyfus did what he did. It was a mystery, first killing an ally and then becoming one. Merlin sent them on thought and hoped they'd figure it out for themselves. The group continued walking, Diane talking with Acantha. "Heya Acantha you must be pretty happy to get an award. I didn't hear a word from you about it." She pointed out. The nymph just shrugged at it before feeling Hawk run between her legs, causing them to buckle beneath her and land on his back. "Yeah sure she is but I'm the one who saved the kingdom! She was my sidekick!" He said pridefully.

Suddenly the ground shook furiously, causing Hawk to run in circles and Acantha to fall off of the pig. She winced in pain and noticed how... Off the captain looked. They all noticed. He seemed really pent up.

The next day was pretty peaceful. Acantha was spending it with Diane and Elizabeth, in the village. While Diane and Elizabeth spoke, Acantha started to daydream. The only thoughts running through her mind were actually pretty lighthearted and cheerful. She thought about beautiful festivals she would come across during her time alone. People dancing in the woods around giant bonfires. There would be music, food and drinks, and plenty of laughter. She was quickly pulled from these thoughts when Zeal was walking over crying. The girls all approached him to try and figure out what was wrong. They couldn't exactly get an answer out of him and opted to find his sister, Guila.

The girls ran and ran until they came across Gowther and Guila together, holding hands. It was such an odd matchup. Acantha assumed Guila liked Jericho but nope, apparently not. Upon further inspection, it was figured out that Gowther had altered both Guila and Zeal's memories. Diane was the first to start fighting Gowther. It was violent too. Acantha stood between the knight and boy to keep any debris from hitting them. That's when Gowther used his power to make everyone blackout.

Acantha saw the darkness before seeing such a strange sight. Everywhere looked like it was just water. Lily pads floated gently atop and it was bright as day but no detectible source of light was seen. Acantha stood in the ankle-deep water in a dress that seemed to be so long it trailed on the water's surface. Acantha turned and looked at her surroundings before turning back and seeing a large stag in front of her only about six feet away. She tilted her head a bit and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "In the land of the Druids, under crystalized ruins lay a piece to your puzzle. Trust not the one with dark hair. For they lead you astray." It seemed to stay only a moment more before running into the distance.

Acantha was going to chase after it but felt something land on her head. Upon further inspection, it seemed to be a rose, black as the feathers of a raven with the tips of the petals being of a golden color. She had never seen a black rose before and it was a bit awe-inspiring. "Acantha... Acantha!" The voice of Merlin rang out as she was awoken from her unconscious state. Above her was Merlin, pulling her to stand. "Are you alright? Did you get harmed?" The woman asked. Acantha shook her head and stared at her for a moment. 'Trust not the one with dark hair...' She thought.

The sounds of blasting distracted the group as they went to find where the fight had gone to. Diane had landed a punch onto Gowther's head and snapped him into reality. He now sat against the wall with his knees to his chest. Acantha almost felt sympathy for him. He didn't choose to be this way... Thankfully Guila forgave him and went on her way, Zeal at her side. That's when Slader showed up, having responded to distress calls about the fight but arriving too late. Merlin looked at Gowther and used absolute cancel on him, turning him back to his original form which was a doll. Merlin entrusted him to Slader and they went back to the tavern to discuss plans.

They now sat in the tavern and spoke. Acantha was sitting on one of the bar seats and Slader next to her. She felt intimidated by his size and scooted to the next empty seat, confusing him but he shrugged it off. Elizabeth wanted to go on such a journey but Meliodas refused, saying things rather harshly and getting attacked by both Diane and Hawk. Elizabeth ran out crying as the captain layed on the ground whining in pain. Acantha just swung her legs, not really wanting to get in the middle of that. She kept thinking to herself as Slader went to comfort Diane.