184 What do you run from? (1/2)

”What happened??” Lilith asked while hearing the sound of Detra suddenly screaming out of nowhere and storming into the ring of fear.

Marcus and Ellie just exchanged looks unsure of what to say.

”Something is wrong with Detra...” Ellie responded.

”Wrong...?? Wrong how? What's going on?” Lilith questioned.

”We don't know...” Marcus admitted, ”she just started to panic and began to run towards the mist...”

”We need to go after her!” Ellie stated while standing up and getting prepared to enter the mist as well.

She was about to move when she suddenly felt her arm being grabbed from behind. The girl looked back and saw Lilith keeping her from leaving.

”Ellie, wait, hold on...” Lilith asked.

”Wait...? Wait for what??”

Lilith remained silent for a moment and then shared what she was thinking with the girl, ”I think this is some kind of trick...”

”A trick...?” Ellie repeated while tilting her head.

”I think this is another one of East's plans to try and use you...”

”What are you talking about??”

”I heard the forest speaking... When we were facing the memory of Mia... East is not planning to stop at the ring of time, she wants to go all the way to the end to reach the core of the forest!”

”The core of the forest?? Why would she want us to do that??”

”The forest said she wants to have you absorb the core with the spell you mirrored from Mia! That's why the forest keeps trying so hard to get rid of us!! It thinks we are trying to kill it!!”

Ellie just remained in silence while processing this information.

”She's tricking us, Ellie... She's leading us into more danger than we possibly need!! If we keep following her, we might actually get killed!!”

”But... But...” Ellie was about to say they should still follow her since she was the one who knew better how to navigate this place and knew what they needed to do to survive, but she was then hit by a couple of thoughts.

Detra didn't know how to properly handle the memory warriors, nor did she knew how to actually prepare Ellie for her battles until Lilith stepped in. The more Ellie recalled, the more she realized that Detra was just throwing her into these dangerous situations with little to no idea on how to come out of it alive.

Ellie had been following that woman so far because she assumed she was her best bet on saving her aunt, but her group was almost decimated because they entered the memory ring unprepared and Lilith ended up losing her sight because of it.

Should Ellie really keep following such a reckless person? Ellie started to question herself but one look at Lilith's eyes was all she needed to clear her doubt.

”... You're right...” Ellie stated, ”I was being stupid just following her like this... I'm sorry...”

”But we still can't just leave her...”

”What!? Ellie!!” Lilith shouted while releasing the girl from her hug.

”Well, we just can't! We don't need to follow her to the ends of the earth, but we still can't just let her get lost in the middle of this area alone, right?”

Lilith grabbed hold of Ellie's shoulders, ”Ellie, did you not just heard what I said? She's just using you!! She doesn't care about any of us!!”

”I know... I know... It's just...”

”What? What?” Lilith asked with a raised voice.

”My aunt...” Ellie responded with a low voice and shifting weight from side to side, ”she doesn't abandon people...”

”...”

Lilith had nothing to say in response. She had no desire to take away from Ellie her kindness. At the same time though, she really wished said kindness wasn't directed at someone she despised so much.

Before Lilith could say anything, another voice entered the conversation.

”Fine... I'll go then...” Marcus declared while patting Ellie's head.

”You, Marcus? But...” Lilith stuttered.

”You can't go in your current state Lilith... And Ellie can't enter that place alone...” Marcus explained, ”I'll go grab my mom...”