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

Chapter Twenty-One: Moving South

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As Acantha was being given the usual morning routine courtesy of the castle, Ban, Meliodas, Hawk and Elizabeth all went to talk to Merlin who was currently getting a spa treatment by none other Escanor. The boar sin just summed it all up to needing to relax after spending all night restoring the kingdom. As they all spoke, Ban gave a sudden question. "Why has no one told that damn nymph about what she did in the past that she was wanted?" He asked, crossing his arms. They were all silent before Hawk spoke up. "Well I mean if Acantha really did so much bad stuff she doesn't know about, finding out so suddenly would break her spirit wouldn't it?" He tilted his head. Merlin nodded. "That is correct. Besides, I'm sure she will find out on her own eventually. When she finds out herself, its up to her what she does with that information." The raven haired woman stated. Ban glared slightly and gave a slight "tch" before the conversation went as before.

When Elizabeth went to fetch Acantha and bring her to the tavern which was currently under construction, she was surprised when Acantha bursted from her room and ran behind the silver haired princess. "Eh...? Lady Acantha... Is everything alright?" She asked. The auburn haired girl glared at the bedroom doorway as multiple maids were trying to get her to wear shoes for once. Elizabeth giggled and sent off the ladies to complete their daily chores. The two girls then left the castle and headed to the tavern. "So how come you don't like wearing shoes?" Elizabeth asked. Acantha let out a small huff of air. "They feel too constricting on my feet... Elaine has tried to gift me shoes to wear in the winter time but I would end up just kicking them off." She explained.

The princess let out a small laugh, causing Acantha to pout a bit. "Don't get the wrong idea from me laughing, Lady Acantha... Its just that with you not wearing shoes anywhere you must have a very high tolerance to the different temperatures of the ground." She said as they walked into the boar hat. The nymph only shrugged in response as the two found their way to a seat. Ban, Escanor, Meliodas, Hawk and Merlin were speaking on what they would be doing next. "It seems as though those affected by the commandments are heading south. Which means the next stronghold for those demons is Camelot." The boar sin said. She seemed a little distressed by the thought of Arthur being in trouble.

"Don't worry he's not going down without a fight. And besides next time we'll have all the sins and totally take them down." Meliodas stated. As the others all spoke, Ban went to Acantha. "Oi, meet me outside in the field." The man said and tossed his cooking apron on the bar. The girl tilted her head a bit and followed after him, assuming this was gonna be training. Once they arrived in the wide open space, Ban turned to the girl and removed his coat so he could move easier. "Starting now, we're sparring buddies. Now I'm no fire master but I'll train ya on creating more powerful attacks and keep ya from struggling." He stated. Acantha was in her usual outfit, being the bodysuit and skirt. She gave a hesitant nod. "Now create a fire attack in your hands." He demanded.

Acantha looked down at her pale and freckled hands and grounded herself before forming a ball of fire in her hands. "Good. Now try forcing more of your energy and power into it without it combusting." He instructed and watched her. The nymph furrowed her brows and closed her eyes, focusing on only the attack and the attack alone. It slowly grew in size and temperature but seemed heavily unstable as if it would blow any minute. "Stop thinking too much into it, Acantha." Ban stated. Acantha huffed and looked up at him. "But its difficult! If I even think about focusing on something else I feel like it won't be good enou-" she was interrupted with a bonk to the head. "It should feel natural to you. It should feel like you don't even have to try. Kinda like King and his lazy ass." Ban said. "Now try again." He added, moving back a bit.

Acantha blinked a few times and didn't even notice the fire in her hands had gone out. She groaned a bit and tried to follow his tips. 'Just don't think about it too much... But... I still have to focus on putting power into it... This makes no sense! Its frustrating! Why am I so damn weak?!' She scolded herself, the fire quickly growing in size yet somehow remaining more stable. Ban snickered at this, knowing he was right. "Alright good thats big enough. Now hit me!" He yelled from across the field. This caught Acantha off guard and she gave a disturbed look. "I'm immortal remember! I wanna see just how much you're bringing!" He exclaimed. Acantha sighed and threw the ball of fire, watching it go raging across the land. Before it could even reach Ban, a sudden perfect cube formed around it. "Alright thats enough for now. We're heading out you two." Merlin stated from behind Acantha.

Ban groaned. "I wanted to see how much damage that would do." He said, walking over and putting his coat on. Merlin smiled a bit. "Judging by how that spike in power back in Vaizel raised her normal power, I'd say and attack like that would easily melt the skin from your bones." The boar sin said as they all went into the tavern and got ready to leave. Acantha was curious now. She shyly approached Merlin. "Excuse me.... Can I ask what my power level is now...?" The young nymph asked. The woman nodded and held up the magical eye that Hawk has. "Your power level has raised from 7,999 to 10,009. A very nice improvement I must say." She said and pet the girl on the head before going off to rest. Acantha felt someone jump hug her from the side. "Oh? And just what have you been up two since I was gone that made you level up even more?" Meliodas asked with a small playful giggle. Acantha wasn't even sure what to say and stared at him for a moment, suddenly reaching up and petting his head. The blonde's cheeks went a light shade of red before he deadpanned. "That didnt answer my question. Dish duty for the next three days." He said.

As the sins set off to the south, it was a rather enjoyable travel. For one night though, Ban and Meliodas had to go on a mission but were back soon. The tavern eventually got rebuilt and was bigger abd better than before. Acantha had such a nice room to herself with her clothing that got destroyed being restored. The nymph was getting some rest as she knew that once the tavern opened again it would end up being busier than ever. Her dream was the same as they have been for weeks. That same dreamscape. Sometimes the sky would be at sunset and other times it would be bright and blue. "As peaceful as this place is... There really isn't much to it..." She said to herself, standing in that same ankle deep water. "A rose tree however, is definitely the most interesting." The girl mumbled, looking at the very large oak like tree with roses growing from within the leaves. "I wonder... Were they always this color...?" She questioned. The roses were now a bright shade of coral. The petals falling gently only to land and float on the water's surface.

Acantha felt the water shifting from behind her and saw none other than the stag she had come to deal with. "What do you have to say now?" She asked. "She paints a starlit sky, cascading upon ruins of old. She must carry the weight of her sin under the new moon. Three pillars she see, each hold up a canine of stone. That is where she knows is home." The animal's voice rang out. Yet again another riddle that makes no sense to the nymph. As the animal seemed to fade to nothing, Acantha felt someone shaking her shoulder in the real world. The girl opened her eyes and saw Elizabeth standing above her. "Lady Acantha you've been asleep for so long. Its time to wake up." The girl said with a smile.

The girl sat up and rubbed her eyes. "How much time do I have to get ready for the tavern opening?" The nymph asked. Elizabeth smiled. "Meliodas decided to close the tavern for today. Hope that's alright with you." The princess said. "That's alright..." She mumbled and looked out the window to see it was now noon. "Everyone else had to go somewhere. Apparently it was important for the sins. It'll just be you and I in the tavern." The blue eyed girl said.

Acantha stood up as she was still in her nightdress. "Oh? Where did they go?" She asked. Elizabeth gave a shrug. "I'm not sure. But Merlin teleported them all somewhere before I could ask." She said. "I was going to suggest going for a walk but its strangely foggy out today... I can't say why though."Elizabeth added, picking out Acantha's outfit for her. Out of all the clothing she had, Acantha only ever wore a small handful of them. The outfit picked wasn't really too the girl's liking since the dress was so long it was definitely better for formal occasions. "You know you don't have to pick out my clothes." Acantha said, getting her usual clothing out and getting changed. Elizabeth giggled. "Yes I know but its sort of become a habit with how long I've been at the tavern. Plus I wanted to try and give you something new to wear!"

The green eyed girl opened her curtains and saw... A bright blue sky? "Elizabeth, this doesn't look like fog." She pointed out. "Huh?? I was sure there was a bunch of fog about ten minutes ago!" She exclaimed. "Guess that means we can go for a walk." She then giggled and dragged her shorter friend out of the tavern. Acantha just followed along calmly. The two took a peaceful stroll in the forest, the birds chirping and bees buzzing. "You know... I also brought you out to talk to you... With the Ten Commandments still out there... And with how you tried fighting them, I can't help but feel that you've become a target to them. I just keep having this gut feeling something bad will happen... And I just want to let you know that no matter what happens, we'll all save you if you get in trouble..." Elizabeth said softly.
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Word Count: 1827