"Bond."
'He's serious.'
Atticus frowned. He was taken aback by the hardness of Ozeroth's stare, the intensity behind it was high.
"Alright. You've got your flaws, plenty of them to be honest, but you're a good man. What's actually bothering you?"
"Can you… really rely on ?" Ozeroth asked quietly. "Trust ."
"You already know I do." Atticus narrowed his eyes at him. "So stop circling it and tell what this is about."
Ozeroth fell silent for several seconds, his gaze flicking as if he were wrestling with sothing he didn't quite know how to voice.
"…I've never had a family before," he said at last. "…What if she doesn't like ?"
Atticus noticed the way Ozeroth's fist clenched unconsciously and couldn't help the small smile that appeared at his lips.
'Ah… so that's it.'
The subtle shift in Ozeroth's deanor over the past months, the way he carried himself now, he understood what was happening. When he thought about it now, the transformation hadn't started after he'd fallen unconscious. It had begun after they discovered Ozerra. After that conversation on the balcony, when Ozeroth had admitted that his mother might still be alive.
The transformation was tied to Ozerra. While Ozeroth was certain she was his sister, the real issue was how soone who had never had a family was trying to navigate the possibility of suddenly having one.
He'd begun acting more mature, more composed, like a leader, like soone others could lean on. 'To shape her perception.'
Ozeroth had unconsciously reshaped himself, wanting to be the kind of older brother she could look up to and rely on.
"Ozeroth." Atticus stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, eting his eyes directly. "Out of everyone in this world, you're one of the few I trust. That won't change. And as for Ozerra, she'll decide for herself. All you have to do is be honest with her, and give her the chance to know you. As her brother."
Ozeroth's eyes widened briefly, before he turned away. "…Thank you."
Atticus watched as Ozeroth vanished from the balcony and reappeared beside Ozerra, asking to speak with her. They moved off toward a more secluded spot, and Atticus had to consciously stop himself from snooping, even though the temptation was strong.
Instead, he remained where he was, gazing down from the balcony.
Eldoralth was peaceful, eerily so. As it was a peace that wouldn't last.
By tomorrow, Eldoralth would be at war.
…
The wind brushed gently against his skin as he hovered high above the land. Atticus let the elents move freely around him, allowing them to pass over him in a quiet, soothing presence.
'It's a beautiful sight.'
From this height, the entirety of his world lay before him, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of pride at how far he'd co.
'It's almost ti.'
He exhaled slowly, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Today was the day the veil would drop and the countdown had diminished significantly until only a few seconds remained.
'A real warrior should never feel tense. Have I taught you nothing?'
The Arbiter's irritated voice echoed through his mind.
'I'm not tense. I'm preparing.'
'Your enemies should be the ones trembling! You're an elental arbiter, my student, no less. They should fear you. They shouldn't even dare to initiate an attack.'
'Actually… I'd rather they do.'
'Huh?'
'It's easier that way. If they co with their main force, it saves the trouble of invading their worlds one by one. Here, I can deal with all of them at once.'
'Hmm.'
As she mulled over his reasoning, Atticus' attention transford to the side, where Whisker appeared the very next second.
"You should be with the others."
He studied Whisker closely. Compared to a month ago, when Atticus had first woken from his long sleep, Whisker wore no armor at all.
"Oh, don't be like that, my star actor," Whisker said lightly. "I ca to keep you company. It's pretty lonely up here."
Whisker glanced around casually. "What do you want?"
"Straight to the point, as always." Whisker smiled. "I'm just curious… why are you here?"
"I already told you."
"Humor ."
"…"
Atticus frowned slightly. He didn't understand why Whisker was pressing the matter when battle was monts away, but he didn't see any real harm in answering.
"We have three territories bordering us. Our armies are stationed at each boundary, and I'm here in case I need to step in."
"So why choose… here?"
"So I can be closer to each boundary."
"I see…"
Whisker brushed his chin, his expression growing thoughtful.
"So what you're saying is that you, a god of Eldoralth, an absolute being who can appear anywhere in the territory instantly, needs to be closer?"
"…"
"Oh, don't mind ." Whisker laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm just curious. It sounds a little odd, is all."
"When did you know?" Atticus asked quietly.
"…A few days after you woke up."
They held each other's gaze in silence for several seconds before Atticus finally exhaled.
"And what do you know?"
"You're isolating yourself from the others," Whisker said with a shrug. "If I had to guess, it's 'for the sake of protecting them.'"
Atticus didn't respond, mostly because it was true.
The Ascension Gas had shown him just how vulnerable he beca when his family was involved. And since waking up, he'd been keeping his distance from the others.
With the coming war, Atticus believed it was better to keep his family at arm's length, as the Willguard, and others like them, would co straight for him.
"So what is this?" he asked. "Are you about to give a speech about how I'm wrong and how I should stop?"
"Oh no, no, my star actor." Whisker waved the thought away casually. "What you choose to do is entirely your business. I'm only here for mine. You're my only source of entertainnt, and I'd rather not lose that."
"…You ca all this way just to tell not to isolate myself from you?"
"Yep."
"…."
For a mont, Atticus genuinely didn't know whether to laugh or scream. He had never encountered soone so unapologetically shaless.
"I—"
'The veil is dropping, Supre Ruler!'
User Comments
0 comments from readers