On my hiatus with posting my stories, I have actually been writing. This is one of the series I've been working on, because I really fell in love with this anime.
I'm just posting this first chapter now, but I would love to get some feedback on how it flows. I will be posting other chapters later on, but I want to get some more of the actual fic written before I do. I have about 30 pages written up for this one, and I want to at least get season 1 written up before posting everything, so updates for this one will be slow.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Seven Deadly Sins, not that I wouldn't love to have the rights to have Ban... but yeah... It's Ban.
Rated M for suggestive themes, strong language and potential explicit scenes later one.
The road was long, seeming to go nowhere as Hecate travelled alone, her long dark blue hair curled around her body, swaying in the gentle breeze as she walked amongst the nocturnal creatures. Her usually light pink eyes gazed lazily over the countryside, trying to find a place to stop for the night. She heard rumours of a place called the Forest of White Dreams, a place no one entered out of some sort of fear of it. It sounded like the perfect place to lay low for a while so she could rest for a little while. She heard about it from the people of Bernia, a nice little village she visited a few days earlier, before rumours spread about their water supply getting cut off by a Holy Knight, after stopping in for a bite to eat. The village had been lively, a change from some of the other places she had visited in the past. It was a nice change to the people she had been around, but the promise of being undisturbed for a while was quite appealing to her. It had been a while since she was able to just relax for a time without worrying about being disturbed.
Coming up to the forest, Hecate smiled at the way fog seemed to grow from the floor, it truly did give off dangerous vibes, causing most people to stray away from it. It was the perfect place to rest in, at least for a little while before she moved on again. Her footsteps were muted by the soft ground and she adjusted her satchel over her shoulder to sit more comfortably as she looked around the forest. She was looking for a place to settle down, maybe in a tree or hollow, when an explosion pierced the air, causing the ground beneath her to rumble. Against everything she knew she should do, she rushed further into the forest. The need to help those in trouble overriding the need to keep herself safe from those hunting her. The forest was easy to navigate with her sensitive hearing, an asset that helped guide her to the place she needed to go. The forest had gone silent though as she moved closer to what she suspected had been the source of the ruckus. She could hear talking in the distance as she came upon a clearing and in the center were three people and a pig. The first two that Hecate noticed were a girl with long silver hair, dressed in a tiny navy skirt and a tight pink shirt that showed off her midriff. Next to her was a shorter male with shaggy blonde hair and sparkling green eyes dressed in a white shirt, brown pants with a black vest overtop. The third was a member of the Giant race, a girl with brown hair in pigtails and purple eyes, dressed orange clothing.
"And here I thought someone was in trouble…" Hecate spoke up with a sigh, smiling lightly as she walked towards the group with ease. "When I heard and felt that explosion earlier, I never expected it to be you guys at the center, but maybe I should have known."
Turning to the forest, Meliodas was expecting someone else to come out, like an actual Holy Knight. Instead, the appearance of a young woman with long, curly dark blue hair appeared before them. Standing a few inches taller than Elizabeth, the female looked younger than she was. Dressed in a black, long sleeved tunic that stopped at the middle of her thighs, with bell sleeves that hid her brown fingerless gloved hands. Her pale complexion looked almost deathly in the forest as her usually light pink eyes shone darkly, telling him exactly what mood she was in, but knew she was fighting those temptations. Brown leggings covered her lower half, emphasizing her natural curves with a brown belt snugly wrapped around her waist. She reached up to push hair behind her multi-pierced pointed ears, giving view to two silver bangles around her wrist. Black knee-high boots covered her feet and a brown satchel sat comfortably over her shoulder. There were dark bags under her eyes from lack of sleep and a proper feed, but as Meliodas looked at her, he honestly couldn't believe his luck. This was the last place he'd ever expect to find her in. Before he could say anything, Diane let out a squeal of happiness.
"Hecate!" The giantess immediately scooped the woman from the ground, pulling her up to her face so she could share a cuddle with the smaller female. It never ceased to surprise the blonde just how affectionate their group was with each other, especially since the pale woman had only been with them for a couple of years before everything went downhill. "It's been ten long years since I've seen you! Look at you! You're still so cute!" the giantess giggled as she rubbed her cheek against the girl's hair affectionately.
Laughing softly, Hecate reached out and gently patted the giantess' cheek. "It's good to see you too, Diane. You're looking good." The female replied with an affectionate smile. She missed her friends so much, especially after they split up ten years earlier. It warmed her heart to be reunited with them like this and still receive a warm welcome.
"Wait… Hecate?" the pig repeated her name before gasping. "Isn't she part of the Seven Deadly Sins!?" he demanded in shock as Diane gently placed the woman back on the ground again, who was still smiling at the reunion.
"Not officially, but yes." Both she and the blonde male replied simultaneously, causing them to grin at one another with a small laugh.
"Yo, long time no see, Cat." He grinned, raising a hand in greeting before walking over to her, and pulled her into a warm hug, something Hecate immediately responded to with a content sigh.
"Hey, Captain. You haven't changed a bit after all this time." She responded with a slight tease, pulling away slightly from the hug.
This is what she was used to, what she dearly missed. The oddly affectionate group of misfits that made of the Seven Deadly Sins, people that she considered to be a second family. Turning to the other two in the clearing, she couldn't help but smile at them, the pig was looking at her with wide, almost fearful eyes. The girl though was staring at her in surprise as if Hecate didn't fit with the image the girl had of her.
"Sorry, I should introduce myself, I'm Hecate, Wolf Sin of Despair, unofficial eighth member of the Seven Deadly Sins." She spoke, placing a hand over her heart and bowed a little.
"No, no. It's alright." The girl responded with a slight stutter, waving her hands in front of her. "I'm Elizabeth, and I'm travelling with Sir Meliodas. This is Hawk." She introduced herself and the pig.
"Nice to meet you two." Hecate smiled, inclining her head. "I do apologize for not shaking your hand, but it's for your safety right now."
"When's the last time you fed, Hecate?" Meliodas asked not just merely out of curiosity, but also in concern for the others. That was the only time he ever used her full name instead of his nickname for her. After all, if something went wrong, she could be a danger to everyone, and only those in the Sins knew about her condition.
"Longer than it's meant to be…" she admitted, scratching the back of her neck as she wet her lips. Her fangs flashed in the low light of the forest and Hawk squealed out of fear again, backing further away from her. "I'm not going to attack anyone…" she huffed, rolling her eyes at the pig's reaction.
It was always a touchy subject for her. She did her best to curb her need for feeding, but she did end up lapsing into her old habits of only consuming blood when she needed to. It was also a lot harder or her to feed without drawing suspicion to herself. So, she skipped her usual feedings until she couldn't handle the itch in her throat that warned her about losing control if it consumed her. She would admit that she was on the edge, but not quite to the point where she would attack others on a whim. Hecate knew she could last for a little longer, but she had to feed sometime that day.
"Have some of my-" Meliodas began to offer, rolling up his sleeve, only to stop at her quick rejection.
"Your blood gives me cramps… I can't consume any of it…" she told him blatantly, remembering the last time she had fed from him. She had been up all-night puking and clutching her stomach with how much pain she was in. "I can wait until night fall and find something more agreeable; I can smell a heard of deer beyond the forest here." Hecate waved him off, whining at him slightly, not knowing he even bothered when he knew this fact. "Just so long as I'm not too wounded, things will be fine."
Diane snickered at the familiar argument between the two, grinning at the fact no one had really changed in ten years. Twisting a pigtail in hand, she watched the halfling huff slightly as she ran her fingers through her hair in slight irritation. Cat always got uptight whenever someone asked her about her eating habits but there was a good reason for it, she could become a danger to everyone if she didn't regularly feed on blood. Diane supposed it was part of the curse the girl lived with, being half vampire after all. But everyone knew she could take care of herself, she had for so long already, before she joined their group.
The small hairs on Hecate's skin stood on end just as a cawing crow sounded overhead. Overhead thunder rumbled overhead. "That's strange," Diane began as everyone started looking around. "I thought there were hardly any animals in this forest."
The scent of rain began tickling Hecate's nose as she looked around the foggy forest, her brows pinched in confusion, there was something sharp in the air as well, and it didn't bode well for any of them if her suspicions were right. The small hairs on the back of her neck began to rise as static electricity began to grow around them. It was not a natural storm that was causing this. Hecate knew this for certain.
"I smell rain…" Hawk mentioned slowly before looking up at the sky. "Look!" at the same time everyone looked to the sky and saw a large black cloud forming overhead.
It was strange to see a singularity of a storm forming from nothing, especially when it had been clear skies all day. Hecate frowned at this, watching as lightning flitted through the dark clouds, watching as it circled above them before coming down, striking Meliodas as thunder crashed above. When the light faded, Meliodas was bound by rings of lightning, but before she could say anything, lightning fell around the rest of them, binding them as well. She could hear Elizabeth and Hawk talk about their bodies feeling numb and how they weren't able to move. Letting out a sigh, Hecate turned her attention to the sound of clanking armor as a person came towards them. Power radiated off the person, electrifyingly power that now immobilized them.
"And you are?" Meliodas asked staring as a tall man came into the clearing. Short pink, lightly curled hair sat perfectly upon his head; bright blue eyes that looked upon them with little to no emotion. His armor was that of a Holy Knights, clean and prestige.
"We meet at last…" the man spoke slowly, his sword already withdrawn and sparked with electrical current. "Sins."
"That armor…" Diane murmured quietly, recognizing the armor. All of them did, it was something they all used to wear once upon a time.
"Yeah, no doubt about it." Meliodas spoke up, agreeing with Diane's recognition of display. "You're a Holy Knight, aren't you?"
There was no answer, as if the knight couldn't bother responding to a Sin of any kind. That didn't surprise Hecate though, she had seen how arrogant and self-righteous the Holy Knights had gotten over the years. She shifted a little in her spot, her body was starting to itch from the electricity and being bound like this. It was starting to annoy her, which did nothing to help her keep up appearance of sanity. Her fangs gazed the inside of her lip and the itch in her throat was beginning to gnaw at her. She really did need to feed.
"Gilthunder… Gilthunder, is that you?" Elizabeth questioned, her voice and face portraying her own disbelief and shock at the situation. Again, the man didn't respond, just looked at Elizabeth through masked eyes. "Why are you doing this? Why would you…" the girl trailed off a little as Meliodas and Hecate looked at her.
"You know this guy?" Meliodas curiously asked, his head tilted slightly as Elizabeth looked over at him again.
"Yes. He's a Holy Knight who was my father's attendant. He's the son of Zaratras, the grandmaster of the Holy Knights at the time, and he was a fixture at the palace." She responded softly, sadly. "I've known him since we were little."
"The grandmaster's son?" Meliodas repeated quietly, something he often did if he was trying to recall a memory.
"Palace…?" Hecate murmured; her brows pinched together as she tried recalling why that sounded familiar. Looking at the girl again, Hecate blinked twice, then another time as she recalled name of the third princess, a small and sometimes reckless girl that she has seen around from time to time. "Oh!" She smiled to herself a little.
"Hang on, are you Little Gil?" Meliodas asked, smiling brightly at the man in front of them. He was not at all concerned about situation at all, he never was.
"You know him?" Elizabeth asked, shocked at the news. It didn't surprise the halfling that the girl didn't remember, ten years is a long time to recall memories like that.
"Sure, I gave him lessons a few times when I was at the palace!" Meliodas responded brightly and turned to the man again. "Wow, you sure have grown! No surprise, it has been ten years…"
The man seemed to sigh before finally responding, as if he were trying to convince himself of something. "If you have time to prattle on like this, perhaps you should spend it thinking of how to escape those bonds." He told them impassively.
"Hey, this lightning is…" Hawk spoke quietly that Hecate almost didn't hear him.
"When someone blocked up Vanya's water supply and then tried to blow away the village, that's you both times, wasn't it?" Meliodas interrupted, and Hecate hummed in response. She had left that village days before it happened, at least that was what she heard from other travelers she passed afterwards. That was on her way to this forest, taking a longer route than she normally would have and take in the scenery.
"That's crazy talk, Sir Meliodas! You're wrong! He would never…" but before Elizabeth could finish her sentence, she stopped short at the dark look the knight gave her, silencing her.
Diane was getting irritated and tried forcing the bonds apart before Meliodas stopped her, despite her whine, Melodias turned giving the same instruction to Hecate, who merely shrugged in compliance, keeping her hands tucked into the sleeves of her black tunic. She would stay as she was no matter how much she wanted to break the bonds to rid herself of the annoying itching. Hecate knew that look in his eye, both she and Diane did, it meant he had a plan, and that they needed to wait for his signal. Even if they didn't like it in the end.
"Do you know why the Holy Knights are after the heads of the Seven Deadly Sins, and their apprentice." Gilthunder appeared behind Meliodas, his sword resting next to the blonde's face. Meliodas responded in the negative, since truthfully none of the Sins knew. "Half call for the eradication of the rebel order that plotted to overthrow the kingdom. The other half want to do battle against the former legends in order to prove their own strength."
That news caused Hecate to snort, but somehow, she wasn't surprised. They, the Sins, were the strongest knights around. They were legendary, both for their skills and the sins that they embodied. It would be foolish to not want to cross blades with any of them. Hecate was ignored though, both men focused solely on the other. So, she merely listened to their conversation, smiling a little when Meliodas asked Gilthunder which half he was in.
"Both." The knight paused for a moment before speaking again. "No, I want more." He stated, his words precise, causing Hecate to really watch him. "I want revenge for my father, Zaratras, grandmaster of the Holy Knights. Killing you will show that I've surpassed my father, celebrated as the most powerful Holy Knight ever."
"So, what you're getting at is that I'm the man who murdered your father?" Meliodas asked, clarifying what the man was saying.
"You claim differently?" The response was quick.
"I don't know. The thing is, I don't remember very much from back then." Meliodas responded and Hecate shared a look with Diane before focusing on the blonde once more. "The last thing I remember is being summoned to the old castle on the outskirts of the capital."
Hecate found herself nodding, since that was exactly where they were summoned to, just before the ceremony where she would have been 'knighted' into the Seven Deadly Sins as a full knight. But that day, everything went wrong. When they walked into the room to meet with the grand master, he was already dead. Spikes sticking out of him and his body hung on display. When they tried to understand what was going on, they felt the castle begin to rumble. The castle was surrounded by knights who were ready to bring the place down, and that was when Meliodas gave the order: run.
"'Captain, I'm sorry…' Those words are the last thing I remember. The rest is blank." Meliodas revealed, much to Hecate's surprise, that must have happened after the majority of them left. "The next thing I remember, I was lying in a cellar somewhere. That's when I met Hawk."
"I don't believe it… then it wasn't you that killed the grandmaster?" Elizabeth asked, almost in pain from hearing the story.
"What difference does that make?" Gilthunder questioned, unimpressed by the story. "A traitorous order that plotted to overthrow the kingdom. That's what you people are." He stated with finality in his voice. Elizabeth tried talking to the man, trying to make him see reason to leave them alone, to no avail. "Elizabeth," Gilthunder's address to her made her stop. "The kingdoms given top priority to taking you into protective custody. But that is of no interest to me." He removed his sword from Meliodas' neck, pointing it towards the girl. "Whether you are alive or dead, you are no more than a grain of sand on the road we are traveling."
"Rude much?" Hecate spoke up, causing the man to shoot a dark look at her as he disengaged Elizabeth's binds.
"Go away. My business is with theses Sins only." He told her ignoring the other Sin, but instead of running away, she ran forward, standing between him and the three Sins. Before he could say anything, Hawk managed to crawl in front of him, his words garbled by the numbness he was feeling. Without a second thought, Gilthunder booted Hawk into the forest, and like he expected, Elizabeth immediately ran after him, disappearing into the trees and fog.
"Now we won't be interrupted." The man closed his eyes, almost in relief of that fact.
"Are you sure about this?" Meliodas asked, still calm and casual as he always was. "In the old days, you were never able to beat me." He reminded him.
"That was then, this is now." Gilthunder stated simply. "I am now more powerful than any of the Seven Deadly Sins." The man spoke daringly, looking straight into Meliodas' eyes as he bent forward.
"Maybe you are. But maybe you aren't." Meliodas responded without missing a beat, but Hecate could hear a slight change in his tone.
"In that case, I'll release your bonds." Gilthunder pulled back, readying his sword, only for Meliodas to turn from him with a smile.
"Thanks, but I can do it myself." Meliodas responded cheekily and broke the bonds with Diane and Hecate following suit. "We could've escaped whenever we felt like it."
"Any longer and I'd have a permanent itch, Captain." Hecate complained, rubbing her arms with a heavily sigh and stretched them out. It was one less thing to worry about on her end now at least.
"I could annihilate you along with this entire forest." Gilthunder implied, but Meliodas was quick to shut that possibility down. After all, he was the strongest out of all of them, there was a reason why he was their captain. "Then I'll simply cut you down."
"Don't interfere, Diane, Hecate." Meliodas called to them, causing both females to relent with a sigh.
Before asking, Diane scooped Hecate up, placing the woman upon her shoulder so they could watch the fight. While it wasn't uncommon for their captain to instruct them to not interfere, it didn't mean that they liked letting him go about this on his own. They were there to stand united and show that no matter what, the Sins were, in fact, united.
"You don't want to risk the shame of me defeating you three?" Gilthunder tried goading them, but Hecate could only laugh at that. He was no match for them, no matter how strong he thought he was.
"Can't you tell when your elder is trying to be nice to you?" Meliodas shot back, causing Hecate to smile.
The battle started off quick with a lightning bolt that Meliodas was quick to shoot back. Immediately Gilthunder appeared from behind, slashing at the blonde. Meliodas, for his part kept dodging out of the wag, leading Gilthunder on a chase. Hecate would admit, Gilthunder was quick on his feet, making it amusing to watch. Gilthunder got the upper hand, slamming Meliodas into the ground, the moment the captain got up, Gilthunder was there, slashing him from behind.
"Captain…" Diane questioned in shock, while Hecate stood on her friend's shoulder.
"Oi… get up…" she called down to the blonde with a frown and watched as Gilthunder used his food to turn their captain onto his back.
"Meliodas, the Seven Deadly Sins' Dragon of Wrath. Do you have any last words?" Gilthunder asked.
"I…just wanted to know what happened to the other Sins…" Meliodas' voice was weak as he spoke, and Hecate jumped to the ground, ready to move in towards her Captain when Gilthunder sheathed his sword, and Diane shifted a bit. They wouldn't interfere, but neither of them liked what they were seeing.
"Very well, I'll tell you." The knight complied, causing the halfling to tense. "Of the remaining five, three are still unaccounted for." He informed them. "But two of them have already been dealt with. The Fox Sin of Greed is being kept under tight guard at Baste Prison. The Grizzly Sin of Sloth is already dead and is interred in the Necropolis. Don't worry I will send them all to join you."
"So that's it…" Meliodas' responded for a moment, closing his eyes. Then he opened them with a bright smile. "Thanks a lot…" he pushed himself onto his feet, turning to the man. "Little Gil!"
The brightness in his voice made Hecate sigh, rubbing her eyes in irritation. She hated when he did this! He was so fucking reckless! "He's going to give me grey hairs…" she muttered, shaking her head.
"Baste Prison and the Necropolis, huh?" Her captain mused. "I'll go check out one or the other." He decided, knowing it was the only way to get the gang back together.
"Ah, I see. You deliberately took my blow to learn the whereabouts outside of your fellow Sins." Gilthunder stated unimpressed by the tactic.
"Let's pick this up later, 'kay?" Meliodas suggested, but Gilthunder seemed to have other ideas as he rejected the suggestion and started going after the blonde again. This time, however, Meliodas avoided each strike until they landed in front of Diane. Gilthunder appeared behind the blonde like before when Meliodas turned around. "Catch ya later." He waved, giving Diane a signal.
Reaching down, Diane grabbed Gilthunder, hoisting him into the air. Hecate couldn't hear what was being said, but electricity surrounded the male told her he was trying to force Diane to let him go. A second later, she threw him as far as she could while Meliodas waved farewell from the ground. Next to him, Hecate grinned, whistling at the distance he went.
"Thank you, Diane!" Meliodas grinned before looking at the giantess' arm. "Wow, that vambrace is ruined." He noted, causing Diane to look at it in disappointment.