Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground Chapter 1372: Brazen

"Rough night?"

Atticus turned toward the voice, and just by the ledge of the balcony, was the Saint. The other marked.

The night air suddenly beca warm. Atticus turned back towards the sprawling city.

"Rough day."

"I can imagine. I felt the sa way when I first awakened my mark."

Atticus was a bit taken aback by how open she sounded. Nice, even. Like she was speaking to an old friend.

"So you didn’t just awaken your mark?" He pretended not to know.

"I think it was pretty obvious." Her lips curled slightly, teasing, as though daring him to admit it.

There was a mont of silence between them, where neither said anything.

"Are you here to also try to recruit ?" Atticus broke the silence.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Atticus turned towards the Saint, who t his eyes without flinching.

"Because I wanted to talk."

The Saint dropped down from the ledge, walking towards him. Atticus had only ever needed a glance at a person to be able to tell all their features.

However, as the Saint approached, he couldn’t help but notice new things about her. Her full, pink lips. Her piercing eyes that seed to see through all. Her scent overwheld his senses, and he had to take a breath to calm.

The Saint stopped beside him, overlooking the city.

Atticus wasn’t quite sure what her age was, but she clearly didn’t look it. She stood at 5 feet 11, petite, according to Atticus’s standards anyway. But she had a certain air of authority, like soone used to leading.

"So, how do you feel currently?" she asked softly, tilting her head as though she genuinely cared.

Atticus snapped out of his thoughts, almost chiding himself.

"Terrible."

"How so?" Her brows drew together, eyes studying him.

Atticus paused, as though to consider the question.

"Different emotions," he finally said. "Anger, rage, betrayal... but to be honest, all of them feel like... steps, and each one is pushing you closer to the sa end..."

"Revenge." The Saint finished for him, her voice a whisper.

Atticus turned towards her.

"Revenge."

Their eyes held a beat too long.

’So this is why.’

He was now starting to understand why he felt pulled. Why it felt like he was conversing with an old friend rather than a stranger he t the day before.

’The fragnt.’

There was nothing that brought two people together than sharing the sa emotions. They all felt the sa thing, saw the sa thing. Solvath’s end, his emotions. But the only difference was, she had lived with it far longer than he.

Atticus had questions.

"Why did you help ?"

"Honest answer?"

"Yes."

"Because I was curious."

"About ?" Atticus asked. About the fragnt, he surmised internally.

"Oh, don’t flatter yourself." The Saint turned toward him and narrowed her beautiful eyes. "I’ve seen finer n. I was curious about eting another kin of Solvath."

Atticus coughed, trying to ignore the challenge in her words. To him, they felt like an insult. Never had anyone looked down on his appearance before. But he caught himself quickly. Every retort in his head sounded childish.

"You know what we’re supposed to do, right?"

The Saint suddenly smiled, and it was one that made Atticus pause, awestruck, even.

"You an kill ourselves?" She chuckled, light and lodic. "Yeah, I know."

"Instead, you’re helping ."

"Looks like." She glanced sideways at him, smirk tugging at her lips as though she enjoyed catching him off guard.

Atticus stared at the Saint and suddenly felt the urge to pull his hair out. He didn’t know what irritated him the most.

Was it her nonchalance? Or was it the way she halfheartedly answered his questions? Or was it the fact that she was able to get such a reaction from him?

Atticus acted with emotions only when he cared about sothing. But they’d only just t, that should be impossible, right?

Atticus cald himself.

"You don’t plan on gathering the fragnts?"

"Sounds like too much work for no reward." The Saint shook her head, as though dreading the very thought.

"Absolute power isn’t enough reward for you?"

The Saint suddenly burst into laughter, surprising Atticus. Even her laughter sounded so clear, so good, that he caught himself staring.

"You’re funny." She finally stopped laughing, her deanor shifting. "Absolute power is what everyone strives for. There’s no better reward."

"Then why—"

"But it can only be worth it when it’s you in control of this power." Her voice hardened. "We only bonded with a fragnt of him, out of countless, yet our emotions are already plagued. This anger, this anguish, the vengeance we so desperately desire... they’re not ours. We’re being led by just a fragnt."

Atticus felt the coldness in her voice, the disdain.

’She’s angry.’ he realized. Angry about the fact that she was being controlled.

The Saint continued.

"What do you think will happen if we bond with the rest?"

"We’ll get taken over."

The Saint nodded. "Absolute power without free will. There’s no greater punishnt."

’Why do I trust her words...’

Was it because of the fragnt? No, Atticus shook his head.

’Because she’s not hiding anything.’ He had noticed it from the beginning. The Saint had opened herself since her arrival. She hadn’t spoken any deceitful words.

A mont of utter silence passed between the two. Atticus found himself smiling. He loved conversing without the need for mind gas. He felt like he could be himself.

"So..." Atticus broke it. "You’re really here to just talk. About what?"

"You." The air around them changed. The Saint stared straight at him, eyes unwavering. "To see if you’re friend or foe."

Atticus didn’t miss the threat in those words.

’She laid her cards down already.’

She had opened herself, letting her intentions known. The Saint wasn’t interested in gathering the fragnt, so he could trust that she wouldn’t try to kill him. However, what about him? Who was Atticus? Can she trust him?

’She wants to form a relationship.’ The realization dawned on Atticus.

It was the first ti she was eting another marked, soone going through the sa things as her. Even Atticus couldn’t deny the connection between them.

"I am a friend." Atticus declared, causing the Saint to squint her eyes.

"How brazen of you." she muttered, but there was the faintest smile on her lips, one she didn’t bother to hide.

"But I believe I have to be the one to decide that. Don’t you think so?"

Atticus shrugged, smiling. "I do. But it won’t change the answer."