The Arks

The Valkyrie sat back down as the Baron turned the tide of the conversation. The Earl heaved a sigh of relief. Any more than that level of anger, the area might get destroyed.

"You kill without a care in the world. Deaths should not be an issue to you," commented Gab, with a hint of antipathy.

"Oh no, not the death part. I"m referring to the incidents as a whole. It"s not only an issue on Earth. It"s an offense across the entire Universe."

The Earl and Baron looked at Mavislin questioningly.

"The Universe has rules?" asked the Earl.

The face that the Valkyrie made to the poor Earl was priceless. Gab found it hard to stifle his laughter.

"Humans aren"t the only intelligent life around the Universe, you know," commented Mavislin, raising her eyebrows.

"But still, I didn"t know that the Universe would have laws."

"Herr, wirf Hirn von Himmel... Oder Steine hauptsache er trifft..." murmured the Valkyrie.

"And what does that mean?"

"It"s a German saying. "Lord, throw some brains from heaven. Or stones so long as it hits the mark."

"Mate, I think it"s a must for all worlds to have laws. Or else, everything will be in chaos," said Gab, trying his best to hold in a chuckle.

Even the Valkyrie had to crack a smile.

"We call it "unspoken rules". The basic courtesies to do upon visitation, to sum it up. When you arrive at a foreign planet, you are not allowed to take over unless it has been proven vacant. And if you are there to visit, you must try to blend in with the beings on that planet," explained Mavislin, crossing her legs.

"Well, I have no issues about that. It"s the same around here. Upon entering a home, one must be invited and not cause harm to the occupants."

"Not very similar since the Universe as a much wider area to cover, the laws are quite loose compared to the ones on Earth. And if you tried taking over somewhere that had occupants, the locals are free to eat the opponents."

"So that"s why Mages tries their best to act human," said the Earl, giving a petrified look towards the nonchalant Valkyrie.

"That"s proper. Causing a stir within the area is fine, but you are strictly aren"t allowed to commit ma.s.s genocide."

"I think that should be the standard rule throughout the Universe," commented the Baron, with a small smile.

"Right now, if the Umbras were to do so, they risk angering the Universe itself. That is the reasoning behind why they travel in split packs. They"ve been constantly dodging the Universe"s sight for a long time."

"Never thought Shadows could be crooks. But does the Universe function like the Arks?" asked Gab, peering at the Valkyrie.

"I highly doubt so. Once the criminals are found on the same planet, the Universe will automatically hunt them down by activating lockdown on that planet. No being would be allowed in or out of that planet," explained Mavislin, with a sad look in her eyes.

"How would one go about doing that? Seems pretty absurd to me," questioned the Earl, raising an eyebrow.

"A giant barrier would be placed. If the crime requires severe punishment, the surrounding planets will destroy the entire planet."

The Earl spat out his drink before going into a coughing fit.

"With no hesitation?" asked Gab, patting the poor Earl on the back.

"None. It"s the decision made by the surrounding planets" judicial systems. But the ultimate command would come from the Headquarters."

"And would they go about doing that? A planet is not exactly easy to go boom," asked Gab.

"An ultimate spell of the cosmos. Legend has it that its called Andromeda. This one attack harbors all of the Elements in creation. From the Core Elements to the Lost ones, the power within that surely will be devastating."

"Do you think Earth will be roped in?"

"Provided if the Umbras a.s.sembled on Earth all at the same time. Andromeda will only be unleashed if the severity of the crime is high. Now, they are one of the highest on the wanted list."

"One of the highest?" asked the Baron.

"Believe it or not, there are far worse problems than this one. The Reveries of Time are very similar to this case and they are by far, harder to catch than the Umbras. In fact, of the top three crooks, the Umbras are at the bottom of the list."

"Would those be the next enemies to deal with?"

"Don"t know. But if so, I would need the Time Mage"s help with them."