Atticus' cold gaze remained on the silver haired girl. He didn't know who she was, but her sudden fixation on him was sothing he had to get to the bottom of. "What are you doing?"
A silver haired man appeared between them, his will bursting outward as it wrapped around him, cutting cleanly through the pressure Atticus had imposed.
The girl, who had been on the verge of collapsing to her knees, sucked in a sharp, ragged breath.
"B-brother…"
Relief filled her expression as she stared at him, but her brother wasn't looking at her. His fierce gaze was locked directly onto Atticus.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
His will flared violently, filling the space between them.
Despite the threat behind his words, Atticus didn't respond in words. He simply tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana, his silence speaking louder than any retort.
"No answer? Fine. Have it your way."
"Brother, wait!"
The man's will condensed, vibrating fiercely as it ford into a blade along his arm, but before he could act, the girl forced her way between them.
"What are you doing? Move."
"B-but it's not his fault!"
She spread her arms wide, shielding Atticus. Her brother's expression darkened imdiately.
"I saw everything. He was about to attack you."
"That's because I followed him to his room!"
"…"
The brother stared at his sister, blinking once as he processed them.
"You did what?"
"I—I felt him while I was going to my room, and I… I approached him!"
A heavy silence followed. Then the brother exhaled and retracted his will.
…
"I'm truly sorry about my sister's behavior."
The brother forced her into a deep bow with one arm. She struggled at first, clearly unwilling, but after a few monts her resistance stopped and her shoulders slumped.
"I-I'm sorry."
Around them, the low rumble of voices filled the space as people drank, laughed, and joked. At so point during the exchange, they had moved down to the inn's bar.
Atticus now sat at a table in the corner, the two siblings bowing deeply before him.
'How should I handle this?'
It was strange, rare even, that a god, an Archduke no less, would bow down and apologize even if they were at fault. And yet, there was no deception in the man's actions. Atticus could see it clearly.
He was genuinely sorry.
At the sa ti, he couldn't ignore everything. More than the apology, he wanted to understand the source of the girl's fixation on him. "Alright."
At Atticus' word, the siblings straightened at once.
"Thank you for your understanding. We'll take our leave."
"Sit."
"…Pardon?"
They both paused, as if unsure they had heard him correctly. As Atticus gestured calmly toward the chairs opposite him, the brother frowned slightly.
"There's really no need—"
"Okay!"
The girl dropped into her seat without hesitation, smiling brightly and staring at Atticus intently.
"…You…"
The brother shook his head, then let out a quiet sigh, clearly at a loss, before reluctantly taking his seat as well.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Many monts passed without a word being spoken, and it soon beca awkward. Eventually, the girl cleared her throat.
"Yo—"
"What do you want?"
Atticus cut in bluntly.
"You."
She smiled as if pleased with her answer.
"…I apologize," the brother said quickly. "She doesn't always think before she speaks. What she ans is that she wants to study you."
"Study ?"
"Yes!" The girl said eagerly. "You rged your will with another energy. I want to understand how that's possible."
'Is she talking about my Will and mana…?' Atticus wondered.
"Why?"
"Because—"
"Lyra."
The brother gave her a sharp glance, many words passing between them.
"…If we're not honest, why would he trust us?"
Lyra said firmly.
"But—"
"…It's fine, brother."
She turned back to Atticus and raised both hands.
Swoosh.
A mont later, a purple will ford above her right palm, swirling steadily. Atticus narrowed his eyes.
'Is this… Solvath?' "This is my will," she said, "and this…"
Above her left palm, small spheres of light and shadow appeared, rotating independently. With a subtle shift of control, the purple will engulfed both energies. Atticus watched closely as light and darkness were forced together, rging into a murky, swirling glow.
"My will is called Converger. It forces relationships between energies, matter, anything. As long as I understand it, I can combine it. That's why I'm curious about you. You fused your will with an inferior energy… and did it perfectly."
'I see.' Everything made so sense now. Still, instead of answering, Atticus turned his gaze toward the brother.
The man's eyes narrowed.
"Brother…"
He exhaled heavily, then raised his palm. In an instant, a sword ford along his arm.
"…My will is Severance. It takes the form of a blade. I can cut anything I decide to cut."
'As expected.'
He had felt the man's sharpness the mont he first saw him, and even more during their earlier confrontation. Ti passed, and Atticus frowned slightly as both siblings continued staring at him.
"What?"
"We've explained ours. Now it's your turn."
"My will burns things."
"…"
"…"
They waited, but it soon beca clear that nothing else was coming.
"…That's it?" "What were you expecting?"
"You— you—!"
She pointed at him accusingly, then let out a frustrated sigh.
"…Fine. Then at least tell how the fusion works."
"No."
"…What?"
"I'm not telling you."
"What!?"
She shot to her feet.
"So you expect to tell you everything, but you won't share anything with us?"
"So you expect to explain myself to two strangers just because you did?"
"Well… yes! That's how trust works!"
"I don't agree."
Atticus leaned back against his chair, eting her furious stare with calm indifference.
"You— you— you're a scamr!"
"That's enough."
The brother stood quickly, restraining her before she could lunge forward.
"I'll give you one piece of advice," he said, fixing his gaze on the tag signifying Atticus' participation in the resource wars. "Stay alert until the competition begins."
With that, he dragged his still fuming sister away and out of the inn.
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