The Arks 19 The Husks

"It was supposed to be a shelter, refuge for the victims. We didn't realize it was a concentration camp," explained Mavislin, playing with some Elements with her fingers. Raiyen hung upside-down an old oak tree branch, intently listening to his partner's explanation. She slowly closed her eyes as if to grasp the lost memories. It had been a few days after the incident, the partners in crime were healed physically but remained lost in their own feelings.

"It's kinda blurry to me, it still is. But what I could recall about the Husks was meeting them. Everywhere was chaos, the entire planet was plunged into darkness. Screams, cries, tears... No matter how much we begged, that was no way we could be rescued. Some said we deserved it, others complained that we were ones to blame for starting the Great n.o.ble War. I mean, could you really blame us for what had happened? The Corrupted Element had been around for since the dawn of Time, why not the Mages in the Abyss of the Stars?"

"I've heard about the Great n.o.ble War, it was the main reason most of you guys came down from the stars, right?" asked Raiyen, swaying slowly.

"Aren't you from the stars as well?"

"Unlike the rest, I really am human. I may be a Time Mage, but I was born as a human vessel. You guys have true forms, I have one form, and it's this," said Raiyen, pointing at himself.

"At least, you didn't have to know how to fight in that war. Anyways, the camp was supposed to be a form of 'camp' for those who seemed 'Corrupted' or show signs of it. We thought the camp was to cure them, it couldn't have been further than the truth. Instead of curing them, they increased the Corruption. They wanted to take my family, but something went wrong and we were spared. But for the rest, it wasn't really all suns.h.i.+ne and rainbows."

"This 'camp' reminds me of the Holocaust, an event that is placed within the distant future. Anyways, how are the Husks like?"

"My mother's tone was cold, sterner than ever when the Husks rose. It was feeling of dread as I met, face to face with a little girl. Her eyes were black, surrounding her was a purple cloud. She then held up a knife and began to lash on me. The oncoming horde of Husks, they weren't the soldiers or the Battle Mages. They were commoners and villagers. I couldn't comprehend nor accept it, especially when I had to face off with my own twin. It just didn't felt fair, why did children have to suffer? Why did the innocent have to suffer for nothing?" Mavislin held back her tears at the last point. She hadn't thought about it at all, maybe it was because she was just a child? After all, a child could only be so aware of what's happening. It didn't really make her feel any emotions. She was scared constantly, but never sad. The t.i.tle she held as the last Valkyrie did not really faze her until now. The truth hit her like a train, she really was the last one. Valokia was gone, the planet had exploded. She could never see her family again, she could never return home. Her teeth clenched as she forced herself to look up, to hold her head up high.

"Hey," greeted a cheeky Time Boy, hanging down, face inches away from the Valkyrie. With a gentle swing, Raiyen planted a small kiss on the crying girl.

"You've got no reason to hide anything from us, Mav. We are like a family, remember?" he said, rubbing and ruffling my hair. The Valkyrie mustered her strength and gave a small smile as a tear came out from the corner of her eye.

"You don't have to suffer alone, so don't go on thinking you have to be strong all the time. You can be weak, and that's okay. So long as you keep moving on, it will be alright." Sometimes, even the strongest of souls need a break. She nodded, looking at Raiyen with newfound confidence.

"Yea, same goes to you, Time Boy," she replied, placing a finger on his nose. He giggled, hopping down beside his partner.

"So, how do plan on fighting the Husks this time?" asked Raiyen, looking at Mavislin with concern.

"My Light Element would work, somehow. But it isn't foolproof," explained Mavislin, leaning against the Time Boy's body. With the laziness of the atmosphere, she gently placed her head on the scrawny boy's shoulder. Raiyen smiled, leaning his head on top of hers.

"So we keep killing em'?"

"If you can pull that off, Gillian would probably revoke his own rank for you. No matter many times you kill them, they'll keep coming back up."

"Essentially, Zombies."