The Arks

However, Ysabeau was naive and still believed that Alice would not commit such a crime. Especially not when Alice was Jess's midwife. The two found a cultural shock when a Bahamut prefers to stand while giving birth.

Another explosion caught them both off guard as the child lost her balance. Ysabeau's wings instantly protected the child from the dust and debris. As she flapped her wings, the dust cleared. The two looked at the village, particularly their houses.

All they could see was smoke and Ysabeau felt sick.

"Please believe me!" yelled the kid.

Ysabeau's eyes widened as she remembered how she begged the Guards to strengthen their forces. A small child, running around screaming that the Husks had arrived, but no one bothered to look her way. In the end, the area was devastated and their homes were plunged into darkness.

Now, faced with the same situation, but the roles were reversed. Had they actually cared, had they took action when believing in a child, her sister wouldn't have been dead. Currently, it's now Ysabeau's turn to make the decision.

The lives of her family hung in the balance. But unknown to her, whatever choice she made would be too late. Either the bombs or the poison would have done them in. That's when she breathed and a sharp pain shot through her abdomen.

She rushed back to her house, with that sickening feeling in her gut. The sun was setting as she dashed across the forest. When she arrived at her house, the whole thing looked destroyed. Her body trembled as she walked through the blasted door.

Windows were smashed, the roof had already caved in. She found her husband and child, on the floor. Their bodies laid lifelessly on the ground. Alice was on her knees crying as she looked at Ysabeau with her tearful eyes.

"I just got here as well. When I found them, they were already gone... I am so sorry. He was holding her in his arms, but there's no bruise or wound anywhere," said Alice, sobbing.

Ysabeau stood frozen still as she looked at the lifeless bodies of her family. Her mind whirled, her heart broke. Her anger flared and her powers soared up to the skies. She was beyond angry, she was livid. And inconsolable.

"It wasn't the bombs that did them in... It was the poison. You humans... Poisoned the well. You, humans, killed my family!" yelled Ysabeau as she could not stand it any longer.

Her only wish was to have a family. She lost her sister in the war, her parents had been long gone way before. And, she was forced to go through another tragedy of seeing her family die. And of all times, she wasn't there in their last moments.

She wailed and screamed as she dropped onto her knees. She clutched onto her lifeless baby girl and begged to the heavens that she would wake up and laugh again. But looking at the child, anyone could tell that she was long gone.

"Please! Just wake up for Mama, please..." sobbed the Bahamut as she cradled her baby in her arms.

"She's gone..."

Something snapped within Ysabeau's mind. Her neck turned and she looked at Alice straight in the eyes. The woman shivered. Ysabeau placed her child down, beside her husband.

"You. Are. To. Blame," said Ysabeau, through gritted teeth.

"What?" asked Alice, confused.

"Don't play dumb with me. You wanted to kill me. You saw my wings. You were the only one I showed my wings to, other than my husband. I saw you handing that child over as payment for that bottle. You knew that you had a bounty to gain on me. I trusted you."

"That child was a godsend, she ratted you out. And she was your child. You sold your own child to get a poisoned vial to kill my family. What kind of sick mother are you?!" shouted Ysabeau, as her wings sprouted.

"No, you don't deserve to be a mother!"

"That damned kid... I knew I should have killed her from the start!"

"Why the hell would you do such a thing?! To even have a child... Just for the sake of using her to do your dirty work and then sell her off as a child slave... What the hell is wrong with you?!"

'Shut up! You know nothing about me!" shouted Alice, her face changing from innocent to madness.

Ysabeau was stunned as she heard that. Alice then started pulling chunks of her hair out, freaking out Ysabeau. The Bahamut had her fair share of seeing prisoners of war go insane but this was offputting even for her.

"Do you see these clumps?! I've been so stressed until these keep coming off!" shouted Alice, shaking the fallen locks.