The Heritor of Illipia

Chapter 13

Sorry bout the late update. I'm doing things a little differently than usual with my writing process and it's helping just a little.
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        Elesis didn't hesitate to point her sword at him and if it hadn't been for Ara immediately stepping in, she probably wouldn't have hesitated to try and cut his head off. "Hey, hey, calm down everyone!" she said as she stood there in front of (y/n). His protective instincts had faded so he of course calmed down a bit but the other half of the team was still on edge. "Ara, what's going on here. Why are you and (y/n) protecting an enemy? And why is my brother half dead?" Elesis growled. Technically Elsword wasn't half dead but what was Elesis supposed to think without having the full story?

        "We were trapped in the temple and that woman helped us escape. Elsword was hurt by the lava underneath the floors. We did our best to handle the situation until the rest of you arrived," Ara explained. "That doesn't explain why (y/n) attacked me," Lu muttered as Ciel helped her up from the small crater she was smacked into. "It was an accident I swear. I also couldn't let you hurt my mother," (y/n) spoke. His blood ran cold when he realized his mistake. He didn't exactly want the entire team knowing about his mother's relationship with their enemies.

        "You're mother? You mean the same woman that wanted you dead back when you were in Sander?" Alisha questioned. If she put it that way, it only made the situation worse. "There's no need for you to try protecting me, (y/n). I was just about to leave anyway," General Zhen spoke before anyone else in the group could ask any more questions or make any more critical comments. No one could stop her either way and she disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared the first time.

        (Y/n) hadn't wanted her to leave yet but it was the best option considering his current situation. A moment of tense silence passed before anyone spoke and during that time, (y/n) eased his aura down to almost nothing. He wasn't sure if he'd need to defend himself or not. "We need to get Elsword immediate medical attention. Only after that will we know what happened here," Elesis said. It was only a matter of seconds before she got responses of retaliation from what she was implying.

        "What reason would you have not to trust us. Ara and I have been on this team long enough to have proven our loyalty and (y/n) has saved all of our lives at least once," Chung snapped. Aisha had taken Elsword from him so now he stood and faced Elesis having clearly taken offense. "It's not that we don't trust you. Elesis probably just wants to hear everyone's story amd piece together all that happened here, right Elesis?" Aisha stated. Elesis sighed and gave Aisha a look of apology.

        "I wish I could agree with you but I honestly can't bring myself to trust (y/n) that much. He's been with us only a short time, long enough for me to trust that he wouldn't do anything right in front of us. We weren't here this time," Elesis reasoned. "Aren't you forgetting that Chung and I were here? Even Eun was a witness to it all. What reason would you have to suddenly start suspecting us of betrayal?" Ara asked. She seemed more hurt than offended by Elesis' accusations which didn't make (y/n) feel any better about it. He had put his trust in all of them despite some getting on his nerves more than others.

        "Both you and Chung have had relatives on the enemy's side. It wouldn't be a surprise if you two were to trade sides," Raven pointed out. (Y/n) sensed another fight between him and Chung on the rise. "That's not a valid reason. Chung's father was already released from the demon's control and Ara's goal is to save her brother, not join the one possessing him. I don't think (y/n) would have a reason to betray us either. After what happened in Sander, he put his entire lifestyle on the line just to join us. Betraying us so suddenly makes no sense," Add concluded. At least he was seeing the logical part of the whole situation.

        "While that may be true, it still does not make sense for Ignia to have informed us of the attack on the Temple of Fire. She stated that we had to hurry before Ifritan was harmed. I doubt she'd have sent us in such a rush if she'd known that there were already members of our team located here. According to her, everyone she identified inside of the temple were enemies," Eve spoke. Of course that fire woman had tampered with things.

         (Y/n) had reason to believe the fire priestess had been the one to trap them inside of the temple to begin with. Perhaps it was her goal to divide the team among itself and if so, her plan was working far too well. "This isn't the time or place to speak about this. We should all return to the inn and rest up before we discuss this any further. Any conflict among us could cause us trouble if we do not keep control of it," Ciel suggested. He had spoken the most sensible of words out of everyone there and no one dared to reject those words.

        "It's the best thing we can do for ourselves right now. Elsword will likely be stable soon enough so we can talk when he wakes up," Aisha agreed. The leader of the El Search Party was everyone's priority from that point forward but still Elesis' suspicion did not vanish and (y/n) could tell. It was painfully obvious how she separated herself from Ara, Chung, and especially him. Her opinion of him didn't entirely matter but it was causing her to lose trust in her own previous comrades and that was what bothered (y/n) the most out of everything.

        He valued trust himself so he knew what it was like to lose trust in someone and for someone else to lose trust in him. Luckily, Ykuei hadn't been brought into the situation which likely would have made things worse. The demon elf hybrid had probably gone unnoticed by a majority of the team thanks to his convenient invisibility. The only reason (y/n) knew he was still there and following close behind him was because he could sense him as well as see his soul. His aura had yet to fully disperse so he was making use of it while he kept it around.

        "Your teammates misunderstand. You'll need to get back on good terms with them. They're necessary to stop your enemies' plans," Illipia spoke which wasn't exactly the best time. (Y/n) instantly remembered his mother's words. Illipia was not to be trusted. The goddess was supposedly using him even if her guidance was correct and her words were true. (Y/n) didn't know how to feel about that so he kept silent it making any comment on the goddess' declaration. Instead he headed back to the inn with the rest of the El Search Party and focused on what was next, sorting things out.
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That was mostly uneventful...I know. I'll bring the action back soon but until next time you awesome readers!