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

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Journey Ends and New Events Arise

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The sins all regrouped with the two remaining Archangels. Although, that two was soon to become one archangel.  Ludociel was dying and very quickly at that. His body was turning to particles of light and divinity as it drifted into the air. Acantha stood by Hawk's side and could only watch, a sort of guilt coming to her for tricking him. Maybe if she really had accepted the offer to make a contract with him, he would have been stronger and wouldn't be dying right now. The large pink pig attempted to comfort Acantha, telling her how she shouldn't blame herself. The passing of Ludociel was a sorrowful event indeed but it also brought a comfort to everyone knowing Ludociel would no longer feel pain and that his service and protection wasn't all in vain.

Now a new issue laid with the sins, Elizabeth's curse. The group had one day left to lift the curse. And time seemed to fly by all too quickly. Acantha stood off to the side, trying to figure out why her body still ached. Her wounds had been healed. 'Is it my guilty conscience...? Is it possible for a guilty mind to cause my body to ache... I mean... Maybe my body is just tired...' She thought to herself, looking at her scraped up and scarred hands. "I suppose putting out so much energy into my power is taking a toll on me... I think I just need to rest..." She muttered to herself. Hawk looked up at her, "Yeah you look like crap. You could use a nap." He squealed out, causing Acantha to deadpan and let out a small huff. "I just hope everyone will be okay..." The nymph responded.

Hawk blew a puff of air from his snout. "You worry a lot, Acantha. And not even about yourself. Try and take it easy and worry about your safety for once." The pig stubbornly lectured. This caused the ginger to nod in response and glance at the others, her gaze ending on Meliodas. If she was being honest with herself, her biggest worry is Meliodas. 'Is he really okay now? Is this journey coming to and end... What will become of me once my journey ends... I don't think I've thought of that...' Her thoughts ran rampade before she sensed a familiar presence behind her. It was the blonde of course. "Caught ya staring at me. Are you still worried or just like my face that much??" He joked as he buried his face in her messy and curly hair. Acantha raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to mess with my hair now of all times? Its got dirt and sticks in it." Acantha replied. Meliodas huffed. "You're avoiding the question so I'll just assume ya like my face." He teased and poked her freckled cheek.

After Meliodas practically dragged Acantha back to where everyone was grouped, it was time for Meliodas to lift the curse placed upon him and Elizabeth. Ban made sure Acantha was standing back far enough in case anything went wrong. Merlin used her power to expose the curses into a more physical form. It was such an interesting sight indeed. Who knew they could have been infesting the blonde demon and silver haired princess for so long. Meliodas unleashed his true powers, his form changing as well. And so, in the blink of an eye, the curses had been destroyed. It left a glittery array of energy that flowed down from the sky, mesmerizing everyone.

Acantha looked from the sky down to Meliodas and Elizabeth, a content look in her eyes at seeing them both relieved at their freedom from the horrid curse that plagued them for thousands of years. Meliodas looked at Acantha and smiled at her, now that the curse had been lifted thanks to Acantha's help. As the sins, Elizabeth and Acantha all made their way to spread the good news, Meliodas had them regroup at Eidedburgh. It definitely confused them all. The whole place was empty, there wasn't even a sound. Meliodas looked down a dark hole supposedly created by him. Acantha had a strange gut feeling looking down it. There was bottled up energy at the bottom. "Yo Acantha, wanna be my walking torch?" Meliodas asked. The girl thought about it, shrugged, then nodded in agreement. She was sure if anything happened it wouldn't be anything she couldn't handle.

Meliodas and Acantha headed down into the dark ditch, leaving everyone else at the surface. Once they were sure they had gotten to the bottom, Acantha created a ball of fire from her hands. It was dimly lit down there... But it was good enough. Meliodas approached a dark orb of black magic, ultimately breaking the seal and releasing a woman. Her name was supposedly Gelda, Zeldris' secret lover. She seemed disappointed though. Disappointed it wasn't Zeldris in front of her. The freckled nymph watched as Meliodas and her exchanged words. It was fruitless though. Gelda was insistent on looking for Zeldris herself, ultimately flying away into the distance. The captain sighed. "There's never any chance at getting that woman to listen. Now let's get back to the others, I'm sure you wouldn't wanna be down here forever." He turned to Acantha. "Unless you like the thought of being in the dark with me." He chuckled at her embarrassed face, seeing how it went from her usual calm frown to a tomato red face and tense posture.

The two joined back up with the sins, Acantha managing to calm her racing thoughts of what Meliodas possibly could have meant by his comment. That night, they all got back to Liones and allowed themselves a bit of celebration.  After getting cleaned up, Acantha finally had time for resting. She looked at the scars on her shoulders and remembered what happened between her and Zeldris. In all honesty, Acantha wished she could apologize for tricking the demon brother. She heard the familiar sound of hooves on the wood ground and saw Hawk looking like he had just finished crying. "Hm? Are you alright?" She asked and crouched down. Hawk was silent before completely falling on his side and snoring. "W-what... Must have been tired I guess...?" She asked herself. "Yeah he kinda cried his brains out. Had to hunt him down. I'm sure he's fine." The voice of Meliodas said from outside her room. Acantha watched him walk in so casually and pouted a bit. "Couldn't you bother knocking?" She asked and tilted her head. Meliodas simply shrugged. "The door was open, so why haven't you slept yet? Everyone else is completely knocked out from the fight. And you look exhausted." He stated.

Acantha could only shrug as a response, earning a flick on the forehead. This caused her to verbally respond. "I guess I just have too many thoughts going on. Like what I'm gonna do after I go to the goddess temple. And... I'm not sure if the others are really trusting of me right now." She mumbled and scratched the back of her head. Meliodas was confused by this. "Well for one, you can always come back to the tavern. We'll always need ya." He started. "And as for the others, I'm sure they still trust you. I mean. If they're aware of what happened and understand then they have no reason to not trust you." Meliodas ended his sentence by patting her head, his cheeks a little pink at how soft it all was.

Acantha only nodded and felt comfort by his touch. This pleased Meliodas as he pulled his hand away. He stared at her for a second before pulling her in for a very gentle hug in case she didnt want it. "If you ever need any kind of help... You can always come to me... You'll be safe... And... I'll do my best to make you feel happy. Even if it took eternity." Meliodas said, catching Acantha off guard. The girl could only stand there before looking up at Meliodas. "Meliodas.... Your hands are a little too low for my comfort." She stated with a dead stare. Meliodas chuckled and put both hands around her back. "Didnt hurt to try." He said jokingly and pulled away. "Now get some sleep alright? Its gonna be busy tomorrow. Gotta replace all the lost supplies." The short blonde said and left, leaving Acantha alone.

She furrowed her brows before a soft smile went on her face. And with that, the sins all rested and got the sleep they definitely deserved. The next morning everything was upbeat and cheerful. Things were slowly getting back to normal. Acantha stood with the others, wearing the tavern uniform by Meliodas' request of the girls. Acantha noticed Elaine looking really sad though and gently tugged at her arm to get her attention. The blonde fairy turned to her nymph friend and put on a smile. "Hey Acantha did you need something?" She asked. Acantha tilted her head. "Are you alright... You seem a little upset?" She asked quietly as to not draw attention. Elaine paused a bit. She couldn't possibly tell Acantha what she knows about the captain... It would shatter the poor girl. Especially now that Acantha's feelings towards the captain are growing more and more fond. "Yeah I'm alright I just didnt get the best sleep last night. So don't worry about me okay?" The blonde female pat the girl on the head and went back to socializing.

Diane wandered over, striking conversation with Acantha. "Hey Acantha maybe now that there's a lot more free time and we won't have to worry about any danger threatening Liones or anything of the sorts, we can help you get to that goddess temple." She giggled and hugged the girl tightly. Thats when things got a little awkward. A few of the sins seemed a little silent after hearing such a suggestion. It was Ban, King, Escanor and Merlin. The brunette giant noticed. "Huh- why'd things go so quiet all of a sudden??" She questioned. King scratched the back of his neck, figuring he should be the one to talk first. "Yeah... About that... Um... I'm not sure if its just me on this but... How... Do you even know that all these signs you've been having, and these dreams... Aren't just a coincidence?" King asked. This made Acantha feel a bit uneasy. "I mean... I can't be the only one who's thought this right?" The fairy turned to Ban and the others, Ban glancing away. Escanor was next to speak up. "W-with all due respect Lady Acantha... Sir King has a point... I mean... If those archangels were there the whole time... Wouldn't another sign of divinity also be present?" He asked nervously. "Yeah I just don't see a reason to go out of the way for something that could be just some weird dreams." Ban explained. These words definitely put a heavy feeling in Acantha's chest.

It was definitely awkward for those who thought otherwise. Even though they stayed silent. "R-right... I guess. I- um... You're right ya know. I'm not sure what was really getting into me." The nymph said, staying calm the best she could. Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You're not upset?" She asked. Acantha was silent for a moment before nodding. "No... I'm not."
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Word Count: 1896