"Die, you scum!"
Atticus turned his eyes toward a small boy, no older than eight, charging at him with a wooden sword. His eyes were firm, even as his hands trembled.
"Baby!" his mother shouted, rushing toward him.
But he had already reached Atticus and raised the sword. Just before he swung, he t Atticus’ gaze.
And froze.
The sharp splash of liquid hitting the polished floor echoed across the room as the boy peed himself, shaking uncontrollably.
"Baby!"
His mother scooped him up, but Atticus had already vanished, appearing in front of the throne.
He probed the core for any signs of traps. There were none.
’Looks like I just have to touch it.’
He stretched out his hand. The mont his fingers brushed the surface, the core ignited with a blinding surge of light. The won and children shielded their eyes.
A second later, the light faded. And when they looked again, the core was gone.
But Atticus still stood there.
Their dread returned full force.
Before panic could erupt again, a voice bood across the world.
"The god of Eldoralth, Atticus Ravenstein, has successfully reached the core of the Vortharion world. Eldoralth’s core is still intact. Hence, the winner of this scenario, and of the Virelenna, is the world Eldoralth."
’Good.’ Atticus let out a breath. If their core was untouched, it ant things should be okay on their end. At least, he hoped so.
He looked at the won. They shuddered and took cautious steps back.
’I guess I’m done here.’
His gaze swept the room once more, and his thoughts briefly returned to Nex.
While he had seen the god, he hadn’t t or spoken to him directly. Judging by the sheer number of won in this hall, more than a thousand, Atticus could only shake his head. What the hell was a man doing with this many won? He would never understand.
Suddenly, he felt a pull.
’Looks like it’s ti to leave.’
He gave one last look around the throne room.
’Looks cool though. Maybe I should also build a throne room...’
The light consud him, and he vanished.
—
As the darkness receded, Atticus opened his eyes and found himself once again in the familiar waiting room. The other champions of Eldoralth were already there.
"We won," Atticus said, a wide smile spreading across his face.
The others mirrored it, even Magnus and Aric. Entering the Virelenna, they had each been tense and unsure.
They had gone up against unknown worlds, with unknown powers. A lot could have gone wrong. But it hadn’t.
"It’s all because of you... Supre Ruler Atticus," Zenon grinned, holding out his fist.
Before Atticus could bump it, Ozeroth’s golden fist extended close to Zenon’s.
Atticus raised an eyebrow at the spirit.
Ozeroth cleared his throat. "What?"
Atticus gestured at his arm. "Shouldn’t things like this be beneath you?"
"Don’t make this a cringe bond," Ozeroth said, looking away. "You were passable during the competition. I think it deserves praise when you’re not entirely hopeless."
Atticus smiled and shook his head. "Would it kill you to give out an actual complint?"
"It’ll erase my existence," Ozeroth said shalessly.
By the ti they were done talking, Magnus and Aric had already joined in, their fists stretched out.
Atticus sighed as he looked at them. Neither looked like they were going to pull back even if he asked.
Eventually, he gave in and bumped their fists. For a brief mont, they all stood there with their arms stretched, silently locking eyes.
It got weird quickly.
"...What now?" Zenon asked, clearing his throat.
"For now," Atticus said, "let’s just stop this..."
They all nodded and retracted their arms at once. An awkward silence followed.
Thankfully, a light soon ignited in the middle of the room.
A familiar Quiet fla appeared, but this ti, for the first ti, Atticus saw his face. The dark hood was gone, revealing an aged man with a white beard and kind eyes.
But it was the wide smile on his face that caught Atticus’ attention.
"You’ve all done the Segnt of Aelrion proud," Quiet Fla said, looking over each champion one by one until his gaze rested on Atticus. "Especially you. You led your world to victory. A spectacular job, well done."
Atticus received the praise with a simple nod. "What should we expect next?" he asked. This, to him, was just the beginning. The Midplanes awaited, and he knew the danger there would be on an entirely different level.
"The Day of Ascension has been scheduled one week from now. During that ti, you will remain on Eldoralth."
"There won’t be any other surprises, right?" Ozeroth cut in. "What about those fools I saw sitting just below you guys?"
Atticus nodded in agreent. The Midplaners, what about them?
"The one week serves many purposes. In this case, it’s to allow any interested parties to et and converse with the winning god, with the hope of bringing them into their faction. On the Day of Ascension, you will be asked to select one of them."
"Asked? Or mandated?" Atticus didn’t bother hiding the edge in his voice. One ant choice. The other ant chains.
Quiet Fla nodded reassuringly. "Asked. But..."
Atticus narrowed his eyes. "But?"
"I would suggest you pick a faction. The Redfla Faction in particular is a good choice. From what I hear, the representatives that ca for the Virelenna are big shots in the lower segnt of the Midplanes. Disrespecting them might not be a good idea in the long run, for the sake of your world’s developnt."
"Stroking their egos is of no concern to ," Atticus said coldly. "If they feel disrespected and co for us, I’ll burn them to ashes."
"Well said," Ozeroth gave him a thumbs up. "Looks like you’re finally learning a thing or two."
Quiet Fla sighed. "It’s only advice. Whether you take it or not is entirely up to you."
He nodded once at the group.
"I’ll see you in one week. If you have any questions, you know how to reach ."
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