Chapter 577: Resolution
I spent the next few minutes recounting my vision, sharing the details I had gleaned from Verity and Soltair. R’lissea listened intently, her expression growing increasingly serious as I spoke. When I finished, a heavy silence fell over the room, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and the soft melody drifting from the unseen source.
"To think they won’t even acknowledge that we’ve chosen to stand against them," R’lissea muttered. She stared into her empty bowl, expression troubled, before shaking her head and meeting my gaze. "I don’t want to fight them, Xiviyah, but if they come for us, I will. I won’t let them take you again."
"R’lissea," I said, eyes misting up slightly. "There might be heroes among them."
She shook her head resolutely. "No friends of mine would try to enslave cities or worlds. And I know I’m not alone in thinking that. It’s why the elves have been resisting the Church’s edicts."
"They have? I remember overhearing Soltair and Verity discussing the elves being difficult, but that was a long time ago."
"The elves were the ones who developed the magical crystals used to power the flying ships," R’lissea said. "They’ve been working on that technology for a long time, hoping it would grant them some distance and independence from the Church’s influence."
"But then the war started," Elise said, her brow furrowed.
"Exactly," R’lissea said. "The Church had been turning a blind eye to their endeavors, but the moment the gods revealed the demon invasion, the Pope decided it was time to press those advancements into service. The elves resisted as long as they could, but the destruction of the Beast Kingdom gave the Church powerful leverage. And once they dispatched Soltair to negotiate..." R’lissea trailed off. "The ship I was on was their first prototype, but now that they understand the technology, I’m certain we’ll see more of them in the future."
"I bet the elves aren’t happy about that at all," Elise mused.
R’lissea shrugged. "From what I heard, it wasn’t the most...ethical negotiation."
A thought struck me. "Do you think the elves truly believe the demons must be fought?"