Violet Serpentstone - The Sin of Temperance [Seven Deadly Sins Story]

The Last Spectre

•~Prologue~•

The sound of my bare feet upon the cool stone is a solemn beat to which I march. It is odd to have to concentrate so greatly on a task that was once so simple. I stumble despite my focused efforts and cause the enchanted chains that the guards lead me by to rattle angrily in my wake.

          This time I manage to regain my balance. Other times I have not been so fortunate, and the consequences have always been severe for such a failure. "Stop slowing us down, brat." One of the guards state. Sometimes I feel as if their anger is forced because of the way they look at me. It is as if they feel pity towards me, although it is most likely my appearance that garners such feelings. This guard has shown me particular kindnesses ever since I arrived.

I wish I could thank him for his actions, however that would most likely cause trouble for the both of us. His name flutters around the edges of my subconscious and refuses to let me grasp it. He is quite distinguished from the other generic guards that spit nothing but cruelty however.

"Unlock the cell." He dryly orders his companion. I simply watch as he unlocks and then struggles to pry open the heavy door that is intended to keep me caged. In the end the kinder guard moved to assist his companion and I am once again back in the cell that has held me for many years.

I have remained pinned against the back wall of the cell by a thick bar of metal that can be removed and reattached easily enough with the proper tools for most of my stay. Heavy weights have also been chained to my limbs while I remain pinned to cause more torment. The only times that I ever leave is to be taken to a 'special' room so that I can be heavily injured. This occurs about once a month so that I can be kept nice and weak.

After all I am killable, and they don't want me to die until I've suffered for my sins.

The large door groans as they work to close it once more and once that task is complete the kinder guard peers in through a small rectangular window. "How badly did they hurt you this time kid?" He inquires.

My voice cracks as I ready myself to reply, "I am still conscious, so I believe that I have fared better than last month...Lukas." His name finally returned to me, and I muster up a faint smile. Despite having been called kid by this man for around six years now it still catches me off guard. I am no child after all, despite my appearance.

I can feel Lukas' grey-blue eyes looking of my form as he often has. He's searching for any visible injuries, however I know that he is unlikely to find more than one or two. The concentration of injuries that I sustain are focused more on my torso as they are hidden by the dress that I wear.

To him I imagine that I must look quite pitiful. My childlike appearance and height make me out to be around eleven or thirteen, or perhaps a bit older. Then the condition of my dress which reaches a modest length and is made up of a muted violet-blue color as well as white makes me seem like a beggar or an orphan. Or it would if I were on the streets. My hair has grown without restraint for the past ten years of my life, and so it now reaches down to the floor of the cell even while I am pinned about halfway up the wall. It always trails on the ground when I walk and is made of up spectral-like hues.

The roots of my hair begin as a muted dark blue that quickly fades into a lighter version with some violet-blue. At the very tips most of the strands have become rather light. A small amount of pink is mixed in with it all, but there isn't terribly much. Finally Lukas' inspection appears to have come to an end as he meets my muted pale blue gaze. "Hang in there kid." Was all be said to me before he returned to his post. I discerned the faint sound of his companion chiding him for saying such a thing to me, however I could not make out the exact words.

My thoughts serve as my only comfort as the quiet chatter between the two guards outside of my cell fade into nothingness.

Something within me stirs as I brood over my circumstances for perhaps the millionth time, and it as if something had clicked into place. There is no point in playing this role any longer.

I am not only as strong as my physical body entails, as I am much more than that.

           For a time I simply delved into the recesses of my mind and tried to seek out how to begin. There was a flicker of power that sparked in my right hand, and so I smiled. I remembered now, and it was as if I was awaking from a long sleep. I had been so foolish to forget.

          My right eye gained a trailing flare of blue energy, much like a comet, as my magic slowly began to flicker into existence. My control was a bit rusty, but my instincts did not fail me. A tiny orb of blue and purple energies emerged, and I cloaked it in a veil of neutral energies to hide it's magical presence. It was like a tiny flame of spiritual energy with it's ghostly colors, and I smiled fondly.

          It had been far to long. The bonds that had held me for ten years were slowly broken by this small orb of flickering energy, until finally I was free. The thick metal bar and the weights lay in pieces on the ground.

          And this process had not made a single sound to alert my guards. The flare flickered out as I drew the tendrils and the ball back within as I had no further use for them, and the next phase was set in motion.

"These words I speak are bound by time and fate. They are the ink upon the fabric of time and so I shall transcribe that you of the Hedera family shall be bound by shackles forged in holy fire. I bind thee." My words were nothing more than a faint whisper as I spoke them, and it wasn't long until I felt a tiny presence fall under my command.

          A tiny bit of ivy growing within the Prison was all that I needed to carve myself a path. "Grow little Hedera. Carve me a safe path out of this place. Be quick and dare not make a sound, or you shall forever remain bound. I shall lend you the energy you need." I commanded softly.

          The ivy began to grow at an impossible rate thanks to the energy I offered it. Not a sound was made as it eroded me a path out of my cell. My feet carried me down the tunnel that cut through several hallways in the Prison, and so it was no surprise when it was discovered. Fortunately for me I was mere steps away from the end of the tunnel-and without hesitation I flung myself into the empty space.

I was a few floors above the ground, however I was not afraid as I began to plummet downwards. "I herby release you from the shackles that I forged in holy fire. Forevermore until you are uttered again shall you be free, members of the Hedera family." My words freed the ivy plant, and with that done I mustered what strength my body had left.

I flew as far and as quickly as my limitations would allow, and I managed to lose those who began to try and pursue me on the ground.

It wasn't long before I was forced to land, and quite frankly I wasn't entirely certain that I would be safe, however I had no choice. I had already pushed passed the limits of my injured self and could go no further.

"My name is Violet Serpentstone, and I am the one hundredth Exalt of the Spectre Race since the last Holy War ravaged Britannia. I am a member of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Swan Sin, The Sin of Temperance." I whispered just before the warm comfort of sleep enveloped my conscious, just to remind myself of who I was....

I'm Violet
T̞̩͇̥̻͖h̢̰̳̝e̙ ̨̼͙̣l̘̲̺̣̦͜ạș͖͇̫̻͈t͉̭͎ ͉͚̝Ś̞̝ͅͅp̲̠e̫c̪̮̖͈͔͖tr͇̭̪̞̱ͅe̢͙̩͔̠̲ͅ