'The Spirit King is dangerous.'
That much was undeniable. The man's sches had already erased an entire lineage and had nearly consud Eldoralth itself, and while Atticus had allowed this situation to unfold for Ozeroth's sake, it was not sothing he intended to forget or overlook. He wasn't going to let his guard down.
Soon, the golden light surrounding them dimd, and Ozeroth finally pulled back from the spirit god before turning toward the others.
"It's done."
At once, all eyes transford back to the spirit god, each of them remaining tense and on high alert.
'Hmm…'
Atticus will wrapped around the man instantly. Though it wasn't hot or boiling, he had another purpose in mind for it.
'This way… he won't be able to watch us.'
Monts later, the spirit god's eyes flicker open, then widened sharply the instant he took in his surroundings.
"Wh—what is this!?"
He lurched to his feet, instinctively reaching for his blade, only to find an empty sheath.
"Y-you! What have you done to !? Where is my army!?"
His gaze darted around wildly, but no matter where he looked, there was only a vast, endless wasteland stretching in every direction.
"I will—"
"You were brainwashed."
At Ozeroth's words, the spirit god froze. He furrowed his brows, then his eyes widened as though he realizated sothing, pointing sharply at them.
"It's you! Did you brainwash ?"
"Ah… for the love of… put this man out of his misery, please." Whisker muttered with a weary sigh.
"I did not brainwash you. I freed you from one." Ozeroth calmly said.
"You… what…?"
"The Spirit King. He was the one who brainwashed you."
"My king!" The god's eyes shot upward, then he suddenly stiffened, squinting as his expression turned confused. "M-my King? Who is that…?"
Atticus exchanged a confused glance with Ozeroth as the spirit god began shaking his head, as though trying to clear sothing lodged deep within his mind.
"Spirit King…"
The man's legs gave out a mont later, and he collapsed where he stood. Atticus and Whisker both turned to Ozeroth, who stared down at the fallen god with a deep frown. "What just happened?"
…
Several minutes later, they finally got an answer when the spirit god woke once more.
Atticus still didn't take any chances. His will remained firmly wrapped around the man, preventing any possibility of the Spirit King observing them as they resud their questioning.
"I see…"
The spirit god leaned back against a raised platform while they stood around him. Ozeroth had just finished explaining everything, the essence of the spirit world, the Spirit King, and what had been done to him, and yet, surprisingly, the man took it all in calmly.
"You really can't rember anything?" Ozeroth asked after a mont.
"N-no…" The spirit god clutched his head. "T-the last thing I rember is kneeling before the king. Everything after that is… blurry. How did I get here? Where is… here?"
A brief, silent glance passed between them.
With a thought, Atticus subtly manipulated the surrounding molecules, ensuring the spirit god could no longer hear them as he turned his attention back to Ozeroth.
"What's happening? Did the brainwashing affect his mories too?"
Whisker and Ozerra's gazes were already fixed on him, waiting for an answer.
"I believe so. When I used omnicognition to analyze the brainwash placed on his mind, I noticed it was tied directly to his mory. That's how it functions, by feeding the mind false information to ensure absolute loyalty."
He looked toward the spirit god, who was still clutching his head, clearly struggling to rember anything at all.
"I assud lifting the brainwash would free him from its influence, but it seems it took the mories along with it."
A deep frown settled over their faces.
"But Lumindra, Zoey's bond, was still able to retain her mories after breaking the brainwashing…" Atticus said, his gaze moving between them as the implication sank in.
"He tweaked the art…" At Ozeroth's words, the eyes of the ground turned grim. The Primarchs of the spirit world were beings who had reached the threshold of the Span and awakened an aspect, which ant they were at least Duke rank entities. The sheer complexity of an art capable of brainwashing such beings was staggering, and even more frightening was the mind responsible for refining it.
"Well…" Whisker finally broke the silence. "We all agree the Spirit King is terrifying and all, but what do we do with him?" He gestured toward the man staring blankly ahead. "There's no way we're getting anything useful out of him."
"He's a warrior whose entire life was stolen by the Spirit Kin. We treat him with respect."
"You're the boss," At Ozeroth's hard stare, Whisker shrugged, lifting his hands in resignation. "Well, now that this freak show is over, I'll take my leave."
As Whisker departed a mont later, Ozerra turned toward Ozeroth.
"Big bro…"
"Please… excuse us, Ozerra."
"But—"
"I'll tell you everything. On my word. Just let talk to my bond first."
"You…"
Ozerra hesitated, narrowing her eyes at him, before letting out an irritated sigh and nodding. Monts later, she departed as well, and they watched as her golden streak disappeared beyond the horizon.
"I don't like this," Atticus said bluntly.
"I know."
"The Spirit King is too dangerous."
"I know."
"This is definitely a trap."
"…I know."
Atticus frowned and t Ozeroth's gaze. "But you still want to do this?"
"I do."
'Hmm.'
Ozeroth's eyes were obvious and steady, completely at peace with his decision. Atticus exhaled. He didn't agree, but there was no changing it now.
"Alright then. I have your back."
…
Several months passed swiftly after that.
'Here… again.'
Atticus let out a quiet sigh as he sat at a long table, overlooking a vast space filled with people dancing, singing, and casually conversing.
'Why do they have to do this every ti?'
They had turned the night before the veil dropped into a celebration. He hadn't minded the first ti, but by now it had beco tradition, and attending monthly parties had drained what little social energy he had left for the next few centuries.
'I have to find a way to stop this.'
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