Chapter 203 - The Ark Of The Perfect Being

"Imagine the perfect being. They don't have to eat or sleep. They feel no pain when you cut off their limbs. They do not care for the cold or hot. They are the Husks, the only beings that do not hold a soul to survive."

"So, in other words, humans can be turned into Husks as well?"

"Not only they can, but it's easier since you lot don't have powers to protect yourselves. But, back to the comeback of the Husks, why are they even around?" asked Gillian, turning to the Ice Mage.

"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.

"So that's the famous Poisoned Pond I've been hearing about. Quite the guy, I presume. The one responsible for ruling the Congregation to the ground."

"He didn't just rule it into the ground. He decimated us. But remember, this is the same person that gathered the Mages who lost their home from the stars. He created order and destroyed us," explained Ysbaeua, remembering the early days of the Congregation.

When Poisoned Pond was truly the remarkable man. He rounded up those who lost and broken and created a family. He was the reason why Ysabeau and Gillian are married. The reason why Baldwin could earn a place in the higher ranks.

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. Ashley was finally able to pass the kid to her mother.

"My back hurts," murmured Ashley, but soon kept quiet as Ysabeau started to weep.

"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. Minwoo felt bad and tried to comfort the poor lady. Ashley blinked a few times before lowering his eyelids. His eyes were heavy but he did not try to comfort the lady.

It was the same in the Mafia. It wasn't uncommon for small children to take a knife and slash others' throats for money. There was no such thing as enough in the underworld. There was no such thing as baby steps. You are given the weapon. Use it or die, simple as that.

"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.

Looks like Mavislin's speech advanced once more, but her body was still a small child.

"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.

Ashley and Minwoo looked doubly shocked. But then they realized she wasn't human.

"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. Minwoo nearly fainted while Ashley gave a dark look.

"I sincerely hope you won't become one of those. And I hope you've got a solution to this mess. It's starting to get annoying to deal with," complained Ashley.

Minwoo hit his younger brother on the head.

"Show some respect, Ash!"

"It's alright, he's just being practical. I don't blame him. But I wish I do have the solution, that others can use," explained Mavislin.

"What do you mean?" asked Ashley, rubbing the back of his head.

"The light of a Valkyrie is enough to kill a giant radius of the Husks, fully dispersing the fog. Other Elements help as well but aren't as effective as Valokian Light," replied Mavislin, fidgeting her blankie and stuffed toy.

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