CHAPTER 83 : We keep going

....continued , 

Aag fell down ,breathing hard and sweating.

" If only a second late..." the thought kept repeating itself inside her mind as the adrenaline in her body slowly began to settle.

Malak had his head bowed inside Krystallo's shoulder .He held him tight as if trying to create a barrier to protect his friend , his brother from any harm.

" Um...." Noir finally broke the silence with a similar note but Malak and Aag barely turned to look at them.

Meanwhile , Stone stood there , his hands tied , with a worrisome look on his face that shone brighter as the sun took its place in the sky.

Meanwhile....

Thorn stood in front of an ice dome , a coffin that held Hawk's body inside . She placed her hand on the ice but she could barely feel the cold. She stared at it , her eyes swollen and look pale. 

After a few minutes she sighed and turned to leave to continue her pursuit of Laila and Dolion who had been walking for few miles and had exchanged no words. 

" Laila ...." Dolion spoke through the silence but he didn't receive a reply . " I need to tell you something .." he continued.

Laila however , did not respond ,still he didnot stop , " Laila ... even if Krystallo betrayed us... I am with you...." but Laila just kept on moving.

Dolion clicked his tongue,

" Laila! You have to snap out of it!" He grabbed her arm but his voice was not his own . He spoke in Eisen's voice . 

The force of his voice was such that it finally made Laila stop and turn.

*GASP* Eisen let go of her arm immediately as her eyes glowing gold like that of the dawn sunrays pierced right through him.

" Eisen..." she spoke in a low tone , " Do not! try to put your thoughts in my mind!!" her voice rose in pitch and vines grew from below the ground , entrapping him tight.

" Laila ! what are you doing? let me free ! I am on your side!" Eisen shouted back desperately.

" The only things that have happened so far have been in YOUR favour! Krystallo and Malak are both gone and none of it happened while I was there.." she took him by the collar and pulled his face close to hers . 

" I am not so stupid as you think I am Eisen... I am infact...from your family!"

The wind stormed around them and the sun rays were suddenly dampened by the clouds . The temperature dropped and drops of rain began to fall one by one .

But after only a minute of this sudden change everything began to go back to normal and Laila's grip on his collar got lighter as she ultimately let it go.

Laila fell to her knees and panted.

She was still a day short for the complete restoration of her power and she had just used whatever she had stored up in her so far.

" Sigh... I thought this was going to be easy....but young blood flows a bit too hot to be so easily cooled down..." Eisen thought to himself.

Eisen sat down on one knee and lowered his head in front of Laila.

The bruises he had on his frail arms from protecting Laila the whole time last night were still evident.

Laila saw them and said nothing but as Eisen bowed his head , it slightly pushed hers and stayed there , in contact.

" You don't have to trust what I say...Laila.." he spoke in a soft tone , " But you are family to me.... and I do not care about anyone else....so...if I will believe that there is someone out there who wants to harm you...I will not give them the benefit of doubt... I have already lost too much...and I am not willing to lose anymore..."

With that he sighed and stood up , turning to leave when Laila grabbed on to his shirt .

" Malak....and Krystallo....neither of them....would betray me...." She finally spoke but her sentences being interrupted by the frequent breathing.

" I am sorry I made you doubt your friends...but I still doubt them.." Eisen said as placed his hand over Laila's hand that was grabbing his shirt.

She let go and he grabbed her hand completely.

" Let us keep going...maybe we will find our answers at the end of this trail..." Eisen spoke as he shifted back to Dolion , still holding on to Laila's shaking hand.

She was breaking , and Eisen knew.

-------------

*Same day*

" We cannot move from here until Zahhak shows up..." Zakiyye spoke in a low tone to Josh , " We may have already lost this tournament...." he said.

His lack of consideration for Aleena's situation made Josh snap but he stayed calm ,

" Is the tournament more important to you or-"

" Don't be foolish....if I didn't think Aleena was important I would have been long gone. All I am saying is that...this tournament is not just a game...or a sport...it decides the future of the killers and we have to find a way to get there."

Zakiyye almost completely silenced Josh's complaints.

" We should split up " Josh declared.

The rest of the team focused on his voice.

" Zakiyye will keep going towards the temple and Samuel and Batuhan will accompany him." He said , " Me and Jun will stay here and wait with Aleena."

Josh finalized.

" How will we get to the temple then?" Jun asked.

" Not all of us need to make it..." Zakiyye responded , " But we cannot just sit here... I doubt Aleena bore all that just to watch us sit down and do nothing.."

The group went silent and a unanimous decision was made.

The three of them set out towards the temple and the remaining waited with Aleena who was silently asleep.