Chapter 18 - Born Out Of War

"So how's the idea of training benefitted them?" asked Baldwin, sternly gazing upon the three.

Gillian rubbed his neck while Ysabeau looked at the two sleeping children. Z ruffled both their hairs and sighed.

"At the very least, I am now aware of their powers and potentials. So battling the Husks should not be a problem unless Old Man Pond shows up again," explained Z.

The a.d.u.l.ts looked at him with terror.

"The Husks were annihilated in the previous war, how can there be more?" asked Ysabeau, her face turning pale.

She shook her head. This can't be possible. They had placed everything on the line that day just to destroy those creatures. They've lost countless, yet the enemies were still alive?!

"Since the Congregation has fallen, Old Man Pond has a change of heart. He lost it," said Z, twiddling his fingers.

"As if he needed to lose more sanity than what he's got left. What is his plan?" asked Baldwin.

"To revive the Husks and find the Corrupted One," replied Z, coldly.

A cloud of silence hung above the a.d.u.l.ts' heads. Mavislin stirred from her sleep, causing the a.d.u.l.ts to awake. As she tried to get up, Ysabeau immediately enveloped the child into her arms.

"They've been through enough, we can't let them fight those things!" yelled Ysabeau, tears brimming from her eyes.

"We can't do anything about it. We can only fight unless you want the whole planet corrupted," explained Gillian, trying to soothe his wife.

Ysabeau responded by hugging the Valkyrie with more strength.

"They are only kids... A child can only hold so much pain... " wept Ysabeau.

"But I'm the child of Valokia, Ma," replied Mavislin, pulling away from the crying mother.

"And I'm the child of Time. Nothing could be any worse than what we've gone through before, so there's no point regressing now," said Raiyen, waking up.

"I'm no stranger to war, not to mention I'm nearly matured. I'm not a child anymore," explained Mavislin, smiling.

"You will always be my children, no matter what," whispered Ysabeau as she held the two kids tightly. Gillian smiled as Z got up with Baldwin.

"Born out of War. Born out of Time. That's what the enemies are up against. I don't think they would have an easy time facing off against them," said Z.

"Time will only tell," replied Raiyen.

"Looks like the Husks are back, huh..." said Mavislin, looking at Ysabeau and Gillian.

"You know about them?" asked Gillian, perking up his eyebrows.

"Would you bet we were the one who created the Husks?" said Mavislin, eyes shrouded with darkness.

Gillian looked towards the Valkyrie while Ysabeau continued to look shocked.

"But you guys are creatures of pure Light! And besides, you said you were the last one," said Raiyen, utterly confused.

Mavislin sighed as she turned towards her partner.

"Are you able to call a being of pure Light a Valkyrie if that being has been Corrupted?"

Raiyen looked perplexed when the rest were clear in their minds. Now they knew what they were up against. Forget Old Man Pond or the fragmented remains of the Congregation. Alone Valkyrie is enough to set the standard on the battlefield, let alone two. After all, they were the Gods of War.

"Trying to defeat that being won't be a simple feat to accomplish. Even Old Man Pond had problems trying to lay a scratch on the fella, let alone all of us," said Z, stressed at the situation.

"Then we've got the Husks to deal with. We were lucky to have the battle somewhere secluded the last time. I don't think they are lenient enough to do so again. It's not as difficult as the Corrupt Being. But if we let those things get out to the Human Community," explained Ysabeau.

"Humanity won't last a week," replied Mavislin, taking a deep breath.

"My friend gave her life to vanquish the Husks back on Valokia. Even then, it still wasn't enough. Using the ultimate spell of the Valkyries, where the stakes were at the peak, it could barely scratch the surface of the Husks. So what makes you think anything could beat those walking lumps of flesh?" asked Mavislin, looking dead.

"It was easy enough the first time, so why would the playing field change?" asked Baldwin.

The Valkyrie raised her eyebrow.

"Previously, they were just puppets. Now, they've got their puppeteer. Need I say more?" asked Mavislin.

Raiyen looked at his partner in fear. She seemed to know more about the Husks than any other being in the world.

"How do you know so much?" he asked, tugging on Mavislin's hand.

She smiled cupped his nervous fingers.

"The Great Noble War of the Universe. It originated from Valokia. It was also known as the Battle of the Husks. Don't worry, this ain't my first trip around the rodeo," said Mavislin, patting the Time Boy's head.