Aurora's gaze narrowed as she gestured lazily for him to speak.
The one who had raised his hand stepped forward.
A towering figure. Dark-skinned, broad-shoulded, with massive curved horns and crimson eyes that tried to be intimidating. But to Aurora, he might as well have been a goat. Not the good type.
A member of the demon race.
He spoke, his tone deep.
"I believe all the orders are efficient, and I agree with them."
Some of the human leaders exchanged glances, they knew there was a 'but' coming.
And sure enough—
"But I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that the strong should lead."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the other non-human leaders, many nodding their heads, some even voicing their support outright.
Meanwhile, the expressions of the human division leaders darkened. His words had a clear meaning, Aurora wasn't fit to lead them.
However, Aurora never missed a beat.
She snorted. Then spoke.
"What you believe is worthless."
The demon's eyes narrowed.
Aurora kept going, completely unfazed.
"I've been placed in charge of every single one of your asses. Whether you like that or not is none of my concern. But when I give an order, you follow. Without hesitation."
She took a step forward, her eyes sweeping across all of them.
"Don't question me. Don't waste my time with your ego-driven bullshit. Hell, you don't even have to like me. Just listen. Like obedient little puppies."
A visible vein twitched on the demon's forehead.
Some of the other non-human leaders clenched their fists, their expressions darkening, but Aurora didn't give a damn.
"If you have a problem with it, take it up with Atticus."
Silence.
Even the demon's muscles tensed at the name.
No one dared to challenge Atticus. Only his gaze was enough to freeze them in their tracks. While they still considered themselves superior to humans, Atticus was on another level entirely.
Aurora smirked.
"Now, as I was saying before horn-head over here interrupted me—"
A few of the humans snorted in amusement, while the demon's eyes twitched violently.
Aurora ignored him completely.
"Each race will decide their own battalion leaders. I don't care how you choose them, just get it done by the end of the day."
She clapped her hands together sharply.
"Well, that's it!"
Then, her voice rang out again, booming across the camp.
"NOW, LET'S GET TO JOGGING!"
High above the sky, a pair of mismatched eyes observed it all unfold.
'It's annoying even watching it from a distance… She has a natural talent.'
Aurora was simply born to be annoying.
Even her fiery, loud voice was enough to make anyone want to pull their hair out.
Yet Atticus's smile widened as he watched her barking orders, her voice booming across the forest field.
The recruits below were running, their faces twisted into massive frowns, already drenched in sweat.
"They're so weak."
Ozeroth's disdainful voice rang in Atticus's mind.
"She's draining all their energy! When will they start serving us like they're supposed to?!"
Atticus sighed heavily, shaking his head.
'It hasn't even been a full day, you lunatic…'
Without another word, he vanished, his figure blurring away as he headed back toward the middle of the island, leaving Ozeroth to grumble in dissatisfaction.
Days passed quickly, and aside from training, Atticus occasionally observed how well the army was forming.
Aurora had taken her duty seriously and gave multiple orders meant to ensure that all the division leaders followed her every move.
Some were absurd and others blatantly insulting. And while many voiced their dissatisfaction, Aurora was always there to put them in their place.
Regardless, they followed every order to the last detail, having no other choice.
Atticus had been utterly impressed by her work. Some traits just couldn't be taught.
Also, he had caught her smiling multiple times on the job, clearly enjoying the misery she was inflicting.
He had been a little worried afterward, hoping that his little sister wasn't becoming a maniac. That would be disastrous.
As the days passed, Atticus had been satisfied. There had been no commotion or fights breaking out. Everyone was surprisingly on their best behavior.
Which meant, no headaches for Atticus and more time to train!
But as the days passed, the no headaches fact took a rain check as a figure approached the middle of the island where Atticus was meditating.
Atticus's eyes flicked open, gazing at the beautiful purple-haired girl standing a few meters away from him.
A cold breeze swept through the area, sending a chill that somehow never reached them.
It was silent.
Not the kind of silence that could be broken by a mere sound, but the kind that felt eternal.
Even if a bomb exploded nearby, it wouldn't have shattered the tension lingering between them.
At that moment, neither of them saw anything but each other.
And as the silence stretched…
It was finally broken by a single sound.
"Hey."
Atticus spoke calmly.
Despite all the scenarios he had imagined, what he would say, the questions he would ask, the things he wanted answers to…
Somehow, as she stood before him now…
His mind was calm.
Even he was shocked by it.
However, his sentiment wasn't shared by all.
A light ignited in Atticus's chest, and then—
"YOU FOOL!"
Ozeroth burst out, screaming.
"Have you learned nothing?! You let her do the talking and listen! Why did you speak first?!"
Before Atticus could even process that, another light ignited from Zoey's chest, and a small, petite spirit burst out—
Lumindra.
And instantly, she fired back.
"Of course, someone as proud and egotistical as you would think this!"
Her voice was dripping with disgust.
"It has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it!"
Her hatred was very apparent.
Ozeroth paused, his fiery eyes focusing on Lumindra.
Then, he snorted.
"I should have known. You're that drake, aren't you?"
His tone dripped with mockery as he eyed her up and down.
"No wonder your bond is as indecisive as a half-baked hatchling trying to fly before it even has wings!"
He sneered.
"And just look at you." His smirk widened as he focused on her petite size. "I swear, it's like your brain shrank to match your size."