The Arks 37 Monody

"It's a song. An ode," replied Ysabeau, holding up the child from earlier.

The crowd was standing still as the adolescent girl sang. Baldwin looked p.i.s.sed as Gillian tried to stop the Angry Man.

"Leave them be, allow them to sing," commanded Gillian.

Baldwin let out a huff and looked at the battle above.

"Thanks, Time Boy!" yelled Mavislin, popping from the back of the Poisoned Pond.

Raiyen had seized the opportune moment to distract Old Man Pond and created a mini Time Frame Hop for the Valkyrie. Shaky, but she managed just fine.

"Partners in crime, you are starting to infuriate me," said Old Man Pond, just about ready to deflect the attack away.

The torrent of arrows was still hunting the Poisoned Pond down. But that didn't restrain the man from trying to hurt the two. With the number of glitches and spells that the two have done, the partners have attained their peak in Elemental Energy. Until they heard the song. The girl who sang.

"Summer in the hills,

Those hazy days I do remember.

We were running still,

Had the whole world at our feet.

Watching seasons change,

Our roads were lined with adventure.

Mountains in the way,

Couldn't keep us from the sea."

The melody echoed through the plains, above and below. The soothing tone of the young girl was then merged into the voices of the townsfolk, boosting the second verse of the song.

"Here we stand open arms,

This is home where we are.

Ever strong in the world that we made,

I still hear you in the breeze.

See your shadows in the trees,

Holding on, memories never change," sang the townspeople.

Mavislin and Raiyen looked at each other. They were singing. Together, in harmony. Independently, the young girl's voice wasn't experienced enough to reach the pair. But the moment the rest of the humans joined, it became a melody. All because every one of these humans was working together.

For years, the group has encountered humans being divided. Despising each other, never in sync or eye level with their ideations. Kingdoms fell and people died. But now, the humans were proving the Mages wrong. And they are singing. They are protesting as a family, saying no towards Old Man Pond's choice.

But something felt odd. Especially the one singing it. The girl struck a glaring resemblance to Mavislin's more youthful years on Earth. Ysabeau could not help but compare the two together. The young girl remained concentrated on getting the song over with. The Aura, it isn't Mavislin or Raiyen's. It was foreign. Ysabeau looked at the girl in terror.

"Who are you?" whispered Ysabeau, eyes filled with horror.

How could such a young girl possess such a formidable Aura? And beyond that, how could a mere human muster up a song of that caliber?

"What's happening to Old Man Pond?" asked Mavislin, as she flew towards Raiyen.

The Time Mage clutched her as he witnessed the scene before him. The Old Commander's eyes were bloodshot, his hands were tensed from the attempts of pulling out his hair. His screams pierced through the sombre skies. Ysabeau rushed into the scene, seizing the two and flinging them onto Fluffy's back.

"It's the song. The song is being performed by a Memory Mage. It isn't an ode or a song even, it's a spell," explained Ysabeau, flying off.

As they tried to escape, Old Man Pond shrieked the concluding threat that he could summon up.

"The Husks will return!"

Thereupon, he surrounded himself with Poison Cloud and disappeared.

"Well, that was anti-climatic for a fight," grumbled Raiyen, landing on the ground below.

"At the very least, let's thank the girl who conjured up the spell. If it hadn't been for her, you both might have died," said Ysabeau, urging the young girl towards the partners.

"Thanks for saving us with your spell," said Mavislin, bending down to look at her.

"Yea! You've got a pleasant voice! You should create a choir or something," commented Raiyen, patting the girl's head.

The young girl looked at the couple with downcast eyes. Raiyen looked puzzled.

"Is there something wrong? You want a reward or something?" asked Mavislin.

"It's only a melody if there is a harmony," remarked the girl, smiling sadly.

Mavislin and Raiyen looked at each other with confusion. What could those innocent words symbolize? It made sense but it was shrouded with mystery. Another meaning? Raiyen's mind whirled as he tried recognizing the girl before him. When the young girl went off, Raiyen leaped at the chance to grab a villager from the crowd.

"What was the singing girl's name?" asked Raiyen.

"We solely identify her as Nom. Queer name, not from around these parts," explained the shocked villager.