"Behold, Captain Flare…" Weiss announced.
Flare's eyes just opened up. She is shaking with fear and her breath is erratic. The scene in front of her was horrifying. Piles of dead bodies scattered in front, nearby, hanged, and burned everywhere. The dead bodies were covered with cloth, perhaps to suppress the villager's guilty conscious. However, the corpses hung by the trees, along with a 'Keep Out' sign that they just passed through. The smell of rotting, burnt and decaying corpses was disgusting, and the sight is eerie. Since they crossed Mighty Creek, the trees turned from green to brown, and when they ventured deeper, the only thing that greeted them are dead trees and hanged corpses. Flare immediately vomited behind a tree, as she couldn't manage to bear the smell of it and the sight. It's the stuff of nightmares, the one that one might not forget until the end of time. Weiss helped ease Flare while Boyd just stood there drinking tea, watching the corpses strung and hanged to the trees.
"…This is why Weiss told you to ignore the request. Are you sure you can go on, Your Highness?" Boyd asked politely, asking Flare for confirmation.
Flare wiped off the traces of vomit from her cheek. True, she expected a bad scenario once she reached Crayton Settlement, but not to this scale.
"I think we should check out the cottage that Slag mentioned, perhaps we can find anything useful," Weiss suggests after seeing her condition.
Weiss tried to pat her on the back, but Flare's body twitched, trying to avoid Weiss's hand. Weiss noticed that and just pulled it back.
"That will do," Flare answered, standing up by herself.
Without caring about Weiss, she walked alone at the front while the two of them followed from the back.
"…It seems she is rather uneasy with us now," Boyd stated.
Weiss just sighed.
"Perhaps I pushed her too hard?" Weiss sighed with regret.
"Maybe, you never were good with girls your age," Boyd teases Weiss, but the boy didn't answer back, instead, he just remained silent.
Ever since what happened before, when Flare and Weiss battled against the Executioner, Flare has been silent and distant from them, as if they are strangers again. It may be because of what she just saw in front of her eyes as if it just opened to the outside world for the first time. The Husks, Weiss's slaughtering of the Executioner, the settlement just in front of her, everything just seemed so wrong in her eyes. Despite all that, Boyd did give her a wooden sword and told her to do 100 swings every two hours. The minimum amount of times needed for her to be able to at least use a weapon with a bit of training is 6 times a day, which means 600 swings. Plus, the wooden sword, although wooden, is a bit heavy for her, but Boyd gave her no mercy and instructed her to continue doing it that way until she is qualified to swing a real sword.
"…At least, she's a bit open to you, Uncle Boyd. She's just…"
"Ignoring everything I say, like I'm a tree or something," Weiss said to him, looking down.
Boyd just observed the two of them. Indeed, Flare has been distancing herself, probably because she saw how brutal Weiss's fighting style is. Although Boyd is the one who finished off the Executioner, she remained open to him.
"…This'll be bad, and the fact we still have a long way to go is making it worse," Boyd said to himself.
As the three of them searched for the cottage, Boyd crosses his arms together and began thinking.
"…Hmm…Hmm…"
"…Mmm…mmm…"
"…Maybe if I…no…that's not going to work…"
"…But if I…"
"No…that's not going to work too…"
"Hmm…hmm…"
"Mmm…mmm…"
...And suddenly, he began snoring…while walking at the same time.
"Zzz…"
Gradually as they search, it became louder. He's sleepwalking.
"…Zzzzz…."
"ZZZZZ…"
Weiss just held it to himself, but his shaking lips indicate that he wanted to yell at Boyd. Although he didn't notice, Flare's lips are also shaking as she rubs her arm. Her muscles became sore due to all that swinging.
"ZZZZZ…."
Then, simultaneously, Flare and Weiss yelled;
"WAKE UP AND STOP SNORING!!"
They couldn't know whether or not it worked since Boyd's face is covered by his helmet. Then, slowly, Boyd raised his head and points forward. His arm just shot to the front at lightning speed.
"Oh…Ah, there's the cottage, isn't it?" Boyd ignored both of them.
There in the middle of the dead forest is an abandoned cottage. There are several dead vegetables up front, buried in front of it. The walls are still standing despite their shabby-looking appearance. Boyd then uses the cottage key and unlocks the door. A loud creaking sound could be heard as he slowly pushed the door open. However, despite its outward appearance, the three of them are shocked to see everything so…clean inside. Although there are a few web combs at the ceiling, everything else is tidy, although a bit dusty. Weiss opened the nearby chest. For some reason, he just stood there and watched the chest after it opened, which puzzled Flare. As she approaches Weiss, Weiss decides to pull the contents out of the chest while Boyd opens another one at the other side.
"…Well, Slag wasn't lying that he has a suit of armor here…but, uh…" Weiss stated, but his face indicates that he is glazing at her, embarrassed and confused.
"W-Wh-What? Is it broken?" Flare asked.
"N-N-No, it's not that, but uh…" Weiss peeked at the armor which is still inside the chest.
For some reason, his face is signaling that she shouldn't take the armor, but he pulled it out anyway. Suddenly, without even asking for permission, he just puts on the suit of armor on Flare. Unable to grasp the situation and the sudden action Weiss is taking, Flare's face turned red. She immediately screamed and kicked Weiss.
"What was that for?!" Weiss yelled.
"I know how to put on armor!" Flare yelled back.
"…Hmph," Weiss just turned his head away.
"Huh?"
After Weiss puts on the armor, Flare just notices that her entire neck is covered with fur. She began rubbing her body to make sure that the armor is armor. The smooth touch is no doubt steel. She looked down. Indeed, she is wearing armor. There's some kind of an overcoat that covers her waist until the back of her knees. There are some leather straps attached to the armor, but overall, it is good. Immediately, Flare made a puzzled face and looked at Weiss.
"…So, why are you so against it?" Flare asks.
For some reason, Weiss's face turned from serious to hopeless, as if he is about to cry.
"L-Leather, along with steel plated armor…and that comfortable fur…" Weiss cried, before suddenly lunging towards Flare.
"That's the kind of armor that I always dream of!" he yelled.
Now, he is just like a monkey who is trying to snatch a banana from another monkey…a female monkey. Both of them scuffled inside the cottage, debating whether or not the other deserves that armor, until…
"…Zzzzz…"
They hear snoring.
"…ZZZZZ…"
Both of them turned their heads in the direction where the snores are coming from.
"…ZZZZZ…!"
"…"
Boyd is sleeping…on the carpet floor…
…..
"Ahahahaha… aha hahaha…" Boyd laughed.
Flare and Weiss are rubbing their hands for some reason. It seems like they hit something hard, but received damage as well.
"So, Your Highness, how's the armor fit you?" Boyd asks.
Now, Flare had worn the full set stored within the chest. Plain steel gauntlets, leather boots, black trousers, and a helm. The helm itself is unique as it looks like a galea, except the top part is made of steel. There's one piece of metal attached to the top of the head which looks like a top part of a fin.
"…But, I take that your head is too big for the helm," Weiss responds and received a helm to the face.
"Why don't you try walking to that side of the wall?" Boyd told Flare, and she did just that.
She's walking normally with a pair of trousers and boots, although she could feel the difference in pressure on the back of her foot. The hard sole of her boots did make her uncomfortable at first, but after a few meters of walking, she got the hang of it. The difference is staggering since she walked like a penguin as she tries to adjust to walking with leather boots.
"Great. It's not too heavy and not too light. It's perfect!" Flare smiled, which made Boyd a bit joyful after seeing her solemn the entire time.
"Good, but you have to thank Slag first, and finish his quest because you took that armor," Boyd reminded Flare, and she nodded.
"Uhuhuhuhuhu…."
…Weiss is crying in the corner.
"Such magnificent has fallen into someone else's hands. That fur…" Weiss cries.
"…He must've liked this armor," Flare murmured.
"Yeah…" Boyd supports her view.
…...
The three of them ventured deeper into the town with Weiss lagging, still looking down. While Flare looking around, trying to at least find someone to ask, Boyd is holding one of his great-swords, although he hasn't drawn it yet. The great sword is still sheathed in its scabbard attached to his back, but what Flare took notice of is how wary he is despite his face being under a helmet.
"This is most peculiar indeed…" Boyd muttered.
"Eyh?" Flare reacts, confused.
"…There should be a lot of Husk in this area. Even before the start of the Husking Phenomenon, this settlement has an overpopulation problem. From what I know and what I read back in Whitefall, many soldiers during the civil war were picked from here due to massive amounts of people-"
"-However, after the war and the beginning of Husks, Crayton Settlement is the home of Husks, with only a few people living in it," Boyd explained.
"…Boyd, can you…"
Boyd turned his head to look at Flare. His hands are still holding the great sword.
"…Can you explain to me about this…Husking Phenomenon?" Flare asks.
"A lot of things happened, and probably you want the explanation to all of them…" Boyd spoke with regret.
His tone changed, probably because now he is watching the spirit of a young lady slowly vanishing away.
"…It was first notified even before the civil war in which your father participated. It was during King Barclay's rule…"
"Barclay the Tyrant?" Flare asks, and Boyd nodded.
"…The details are vague, but at some point in time during his rule, an experiment was conducted. Some mages and researchers were looking for a way to gain immortality using a part of the Holy Grail up north in the Elven lands."
"This story was passed down to me from a man at a bar, who heard from another man, and another man…and another one. I think…Hmm…" Boyd is going off track.
"…Sorry, Your Highness. I just can't remember what it is that caused it, but what I do know is how you turn into a Husk," Boyd apologized and offered information.
"Turn? You mean it's like a disease?" Flare asked, a bit frightened.
"…More like an epidemic. A mage from the Magic Academy explained that Husks are in everyone. Yes, everyone."
"The factor that influences whether or not someone will turn into a Husk is not transferable by contact with another Husk, but the person's conviction itself," Boyd explained.
"What do you mean?"
"What I meant, Your Highness is that a person WILL turn into a Husk if they lose purpose. To put it simply, when one gives up their will to live, they will become Husks…and there is no way of turning back. Once you become a Husk, you will remain a Husk. A mindless human left with only basic instincts to fight one another until they die," Boyd finished.
"What are the symptoms?" she asked.
"It doesn't show, but the most damning evidence is that the person will forget things that were important to him. Then, they'll forget everything and turn into a Husk. It's in everyone…"
"…You mean, it's inside me too?" Flare looked at her body.
"…Which is why Weiss is worried about you. He thinks that when you were given a peek at who he is, and how it is living outside the palace to see these Husks, you will break and lose purpose. Inevitably when someone breaks, they will turn into Husks."
Boyd then turned his head to look at Weiss, still depressed because Flare is wearing the type of armor that he wants.
"It may not seem like it, Your Highness, but Weiss was the one who accepted this mission," Boyd led out a secret.
"Huh? It was not you?" Flare asks, surprised.
"No, it was not."
Flare looked a bit disappointed, but she smiled once she figured out something about Weiss.
"Now, why don't you tell me something about your secret, Your Highness?" Boyd teased.
"What?"
"Fair is fair, Your Highness. One secret to being traded with another," Boyd teased her again.
"Ugh…!" Flare grunts, surprised to see this side of Boyd.
However, deep inside, she is happy to see it.
"…Well, I always eat sweets outside the palace with Uncle Talbot if he is around," she opened up with a red face.
"Huh, Uncle Talbot…but…why him again? I thought you were best friends with Cellica, Your Highness," Boyd inquired.
"Mmm, Cellica and I talk about boys a lot and we always get into trouble, but I do talk to Uncle Talbot once in a while and he always treats me with sweets," Flare explained.
"Oh, so, what can you tell me about this Uncle Talbot?"
"Hmm…Uncle Talbot is nice. He is always there when Dad is busy and we eat sweets a lot. But…"
Flare stopped for a while.
"…But?"
"…Uncle Talbot's wife and daughter left him before I came to the palace. After that, he always spends his time a lot with work, but he always comes to see me when he has the chance, usually with sweets."
Boyd remained silent as if he is deducing something.
"Well, I think that's all, but…heh, I gave you two secrets!" Flare yelped.
"Really? Hmm…I didn't notice…" Boyd looked away and whistled.
Then, suddenly, Boyd stopped in his tracks, as do Weiss. Flare did the same, but she is puzzled to see why. Boyd didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed upwards to the sky. Flare quickly turned her head to figure out what is happening, but all she saw is…smoke. Smoke? No, she also smelled something peculiar. Its stench is…horrifying.
"Hurry!" Boyd quickly dashed forward, followed by Weiss.
"Wait for me!" Flare pleaded as she began to give chase.
Due to the armor, Flare's movements are quite slow. It is probably because of the weight. Although it is not too heavy for her, it still affects her if they have to rush somewhere else. All three of them are running through the woods, closer to the smoke. The closer they get, the more intense the smell is. It smells metallic, coppery, acrid, charcoal-like, and awful. Once it does, for some reason, Boyd is the one first to sprint forward, leaving the two of them behind. Weiss called him to wait up, but Boyd just left them there to chase him. Weiss hung back until he is on the same rails as Flare.
"…What's up with him?" Weiss asks, trying to open a topic.
"…"
Flare remained silent.
"…"
Her silence brings a more awkward silence.
"…Look…I just want to apologize, okay?" Weiss spoke up first.
Flare was shocked to hear it. She turned her head to look at Weiss while both of them are running, but Weiss is looking forward. No, he is trying his best to not look at Flare.
"…I shouldn't force you to do it like that…"
"…But I won't apologize for how I fought him," Weiss exclaimed.
"Hmph, that's so like you anyway," Flare removed her gaze.
"…All I'm trying to say is, Captain, is that I don't have the authority to force you to kill, but you have to remember…"
"That this town, despite how empty it is, is filled with Husks that have no doubt in killing you, and you will die if you won't kill them," Weiss explained.
"…Then you are just a monster who has the license to kill as you please," Flare responds.
Weiss remained silent for a while.
"…Did I say too much?" Flare said, with a slight tone of regret.
"…No, no, you are right," Weiss replied.
Flare gulped her saliva once she heard that. She is shocked to hear that as she turns her head to face Weiss.
"…If in any case that people fall and become the demon that they fear during their childhood, the only thing that can turn them back to human…is another human," Weiss exclaimed.
Flare just listens.
"That's what Boyd said to me," he added.
"As far as I am concerned, Husks and people, both of them are the two sides of the same coin."
Flare's ears felt like burning once she heard that.
"…It won't make any difference to me if I kill another person, another Husk, now. It's too late for that kind of sentiment now."
"I don't seek or expect any kind of forgiveness from anyone, including you, Captain."
"…But there is something that I can do in this wretched, dying world," Weiss spoke and turned to Flare.
She is still mad, but she is listening.
"The only thing I can do is stop you from making any kind of mistake that I did. I can only teach you to learn from your mistakes and move on."
"…The one thing that I can fight for and what keeps me from turning into a Husk is that conviction."
"…I'm going to save anyone from turning into a monster like me," Weiss explained and remained silent as they kept on running.
Once she finished listening to all that explanation, Flare's anger just dissipated into thin air, and for some reason, she is smiling with relief. Her eyes became wet for a while but she quickly rubbed them off using the fur.
"OI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT QUALITY FUR?!" Weiss suddenly yelled at her.
Flare's face immediately turned puzzled.
"IT'S MY ARMOR, I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH IT!" Flare yelled back.
"YOU RICH SPOILED BRAT! I'LL TAKE THAT ARMOR FROM YOU SOON!" Weiss yelled.
Both of them then looked away from each other, and suddenly…they just laughed. Inside the dying forest and dead leaves, two people are running and laughing at the same time…which is weird.
"…So, if you are a monster, then what is Boyd?" Flare just asked, trying to continue their conversation.
Suddenly, the joyful scene turned serious. No, Weiss was a bit puzzled on how to answer that, or more like…confused.
"I don't have the words to put it!" Weiss cried.
"THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!" Flare yelled.
As both of them are running, Weiss then gave Flare a simple differentiation.
"Although it may not look like it,…"
Weiss looked around and looked ahead as if he is looking for something.
"…It would be advisable to not be on his bad side, Captain," Weiss explained.
No, it was not an explanation. By his tone, his expression, and the seriousness of his eyes, it serves more like a warning.
"If I am a monster…"
"…Uncle Boyd is the Devil."
After a few minutes of running, they finally caught up to Boyd, who is standing 10 meters away with his back facing them. The smoke is just a few meters in front of him, but he stops there. Flare and Weiss stopped in their tracks to catch their breath. After that, they approached Boyd from behind. However, Flare felt like she stepped on something wet. She could hear the sounds of splashing underneath her feet, so she thought that it was just water. It was not until Weiss tapped her from behind, signaling something with his hand. Flare tried to understand it by the motion of his hands as they walked forward.
"…Don't look down-…"
Before Flare could finish her sentence, she stepped on something solid. Ignoring Weiss's warning, she looked down…and before her body and brain could comprehend it, she screamed, but Weiss quickly covered her mouth.
____________________________________________
--Image--
https://ibb.co/vJ4pjQ1 - Flare and Weiss seeing the desolate settlement
____________________________________________
The dead forest village is foggy due to the smoke coming from in front of them, but she could not mistake what she just saw. The forest is littered with suits, bodies…blood, lots of it. Red, brown, and pink are the new colors of what was a normal forest. By that time, she just noticed that the air, the smell of it becomes thicker. She could hear screams coming from in front of them, where Boyd is watching. The peace of a mutilated arm that she just stepped on is half-burnt. She succumbed to panic and tried to run away, but Weiss tried to prevent her to avoid her from attracting attention. On the other hand, Boyd is still calm - because he is still drinking his tea.
"Leave her be, Weiss…" Boyd turned his head to face both of them.
Immediately, Weiss and Flare stopped.
"…It might be better for the both of you to not see this…" Boyd continued, but his belligerent tone clearly says that he is angry as to what he is seeing.
Weiss for some reason immediately approaches Boyd and puts his hand on Boyd's shoulder before slightly pulling it away to get a better view. However, Boyd immediately raised his arm, preventing Weiss from continuing forward.
"What are you talking about? If there are people in trouble, we have to save them and kill those Husks," Weiss retorted.
"…That's true, but…don't do it for now…"
"This is too much for you to handle, Flare…and you, Weiss," Boyd warned as the sounds of someone screaming is getting louder.
The scream itself is haunting. It is as if someone is screaming for help but in a horrifying way. Flare's spine shivers, warning her to turn back and forget about it.
"…Just shut up, it can't be that…" Weiss pushed the arm away and looked…
"…"
He stopped halfway, and for some reason, he found trouble breathing. His eyes turned grim before he turned around and vomited beneath the nearest tree. Flare was shocked to see that Weiss is having that kind of reaction as she is still unaware of what it is. Boyd just sighed.
"…I told you not to look," Boyd reminded him and patted his back.
Out of curiosity, Flare stood up and tried to take a better look, but Boyd quickly raised his arm. Flare turned to look at him. Boyd just shook his head left and right. His arm is shaking, and judging from how he talked to Weiss, he is both angry and sad at the same time.
"We can't do anything for them now…we were too late…" his tone signals regret.
The screaming became louder and louder until even Flare's ears are not capable of taking it. Man, woman, elderly, it was ambiguous but it was clear who was screaming. Suddenly, without even realizing it, Flare turned back and ran. She ran away from the smoke, Boyd, and Weiss. Boyd called to her, but she ignored it and ran away. She ran through the dead trees, the hanging corpses, the stench of burning human flesh, everything.
"…I can't take this anymore…" she cried inside.
In all her heart, she thought that she was doing good. She's just trying to bring a necklace to an old woman in a settlement. She only wanted to escape from the harsh reality outside the city walls. She wishes that she could forget it all. Husks, the smell, magic, swordsmanship…everything. She cried alone as she ran deeper into the woods and far away from Boyd and Weiss. Tears poured out of her eyes non-stop. She screamed for help with all her heart, begging for someone to save her from what she had been through. All she was supposed to do was study and be escorted until the three of them reached Erythyl. She believed with all her heart that it would be easy, but reality proved her otherwise. Chaos, brutality, massacres, she wants to forget all of them.
"HELP ME…! HELP ME! PLEASE, SOMEBODY!!" she yelled and screamed as tears continuously flow out of her eyes.
"PLEASE…!"
Nobody replied. The endless forest consisting of dead trees and wildlife are the only things that replied. The dead leaves that she pushed through, the crows, and everything around symbolize that the place is dead. As she continues running forward, suddenly, she tripped. Her face falls first onto the ground, staining her white face. Her eyes are a bit swollen now since she cried so much. Suddenly, she felt something grabbing her foot. Quickly, she raised her head and saw a Husk. She tripped on a Husk, and now the Husk has a dagger in its hand.
"GO AWAY!" she screamed, kicking the Husk in the face.
She managed to break free, but it doesn't end there. More and more Husks appeared from behind trees, and some are still alive despite being hanged. Terrified, she quickly tried to stand up and run, but the Husk earlier managed to grab her leg once again. Again, she kicked the husk, but this time the Husk managed to stab her leg, and maimed her from moving. She kicked the Husk again and managed to break free but couldn't move her left leg. Flare pushed her right knee to support herself and begins to limp away. However, the Husks are faster, much faster since she could see more of them approaching from behind, running. Flare managed to break through the crowd, but her back was slashed by another Husk. She kept on walking, until…she fell.
"…My body feels…weak. I can feel it…"
"Maybe…this is the end, surely, there's no coming back from this…" she spoke to herself.
Before she knew it, she was crying.
"…Father…why am I so weak? I can make it out of this mess, I know I can…so why? Why am I so weak?" she questioned herself as she puts her arm forward.
Slowly, she grabs the ground and dead leaves to pull herself forward. She could hear the Husks approaching from behind.
"…No, I will get away. I will get out of here…I'll go back home and meet Cellica. We'll play together again, talk to each other until late at night…yes…"
"…Help, anyone…please…" she cried in her heart.
"…I can't do this on my own…please…"
"Oi! There's a girl here!" she heard something muffled from afar.
Her vision is turning blurry. All she could see is blue and red. Red…
"…Tired…I'm so tired…" she complained to herself.
"I'll-I'll take a nap, a quick nap…I need to rest…A quick nap will be fine…"
"What are you..."
"Get the…"
She couldn't hear those last words as she fades away…fading from consciousness.
"Princess?!"
"PRINCESS?!"
"…FLARE!!"