renegade (seven deadly sins)

ACT TWO / blood and water

<EDITED ON FEBRUARY 3>

i rewrote this so many times lmao but i think this is a decent enough chapter for now

i might try to write some holiday-themed chapters to fill in a few spaces. obviously these won't come until their respective holidays, but i think it's nice as a little heads-up :)

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"What do you mean?" you asked. That growing sense of unease felt like a phantom breathing down your neck. "What sense of vengeance would lead you to break the barrier between this world and the Necropolis?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Her gaze hardened. There was no hint of the gentle and caring mother you once knew. "The man that killed our family. The man that drove us out of our home. I know you're traveling with him."

As if on some horrific cue, the door opened. "What's going--"

Something sparked in Mama's eyes at the sight of Meliodas. "Demon," she hissed, drawing back her hand. "Pay for what you have done with your blood!"

"No!" You slammed your hands against the blast of wind, deflecting it into the sky. "You will not harm them."

"Why are you defending him?" Mama snarled. "You know what he did to you, to your family!"

"What is she talking about?" Elizabeth asked, fear evident in her voice. "Sir Meliodas has done nothing to either of you!"

Mama threw her head back and let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "You know nothing," she said, her voice closer to a growl than human speech. "The Nebulae were wiped out with his sword. The blood of our people is on his hands. For that, he must pay!"

You deflected another blast of wind. It shot off to the side. A tree crashed to the ground.

"What is the matter with you?" you demanded. "Why are you so vengeful?"

"What is the matter with me?" You parried a spear of wind that would have pierced Meliodas through the head. "I should be asking you that! When you discovered what he did, you should have struck him down where he stood. You've betrayed your people, your family. How can you stand by his side?"

You were taken aback by her harsh words. You were too slow to block her attack. A grunt left you as a powerful blast of wind slammed against your chestplate and knocked the breath out of you.

"Oi!" Howzer reached for his weapon.

"Stay out of this!" you snapped. Immediately, you felt a twinge of guilt for yelling at your friends, but you didn't want them to get hurt. Whatever revived Mama had also amplified her powers, and she had been powerful to begin with. You reckoned that she was on par with Sir Zaratras now, maybe even approaching the Seven Deadly Sins.

You brought up your forearm as Mama tried to attack you. Your eyes widened. "Why would you attack your own flesh and blood?"

Mama grabbed your arm and threw you over her shoulder. You caught yourself, summoning a cushion of wind that dispersed as you landed. "The moment you stood with that fiend, you lost all right to call yourself my flesh and blood. You are no child of mine!"

The guilt you felt before was nothing compared to this hurt. Although she wasn't truly Mama, it was still her all the same.

"Stop this," you pleaded. She forced you on the defensive. You couldn't bring yourself to attack her. "Don't make me hurt you! I don't want to see you in pain. Not again."

"It's not fair."

You rolled to avoid an attack that would have thrown you off Mama Hawk. A storm brewed in the sky, bringing with it winds that forced Mama Hawk to slow to a stop.