As Atticus made his way through the dimly lit hallway, he found himself face to face with the imposing figure of Magnus.
Seeing him, Atticus immediately paid his respects and bowed. "Grandfather," he greeted.
'What is he doing here?' he thought inwardly, his thoughts racing, trying to figure out why Magnus was here.
Apart from the time Magnus came into his room and today's event, he hadn't met him in the mansion ever since.
Magnus was a huge enigma. He doesn't come to dinner, doesn't spend time with the family, he was always on his own doing only God knows what. Growing up, Atticus had learn to live with this.
Magnus was basically the exact opposite of Freya. She was the epitome of calmness and grace. She doesn't speak nor act unless she felt it was needed, but even then, she constantly expresses her love for her grandchildren. Not a single day would pass that Freya wouldn't check up on each of them.
Atticus could feel that today, Magnus was containing his presence, but even with that, he could still sense the immense power that radiated from him.
Magnus regarded Atticus with a neutral gaze for a few seconds, making beads of sweat form on his forehead as he struggled to control himself.
And before Atticus could wonder what Magnus wanted, he spoke, "Leave us," he ordered, causing two shadows, one each from Atticus and Magnus, to separate from their forms.
Vesper and Arya materialized with remarkable speed, promptly sinking to one knee in a display of profound respect.
"Master Magnus," they simultaneously greeted, and then, just as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished into the shadows, leaving Magnus and Atticus, who was bewildered at the turn of events, alone in the hallway.
"Follow me." Giving that command, Magnus suddenly turned and started walking away. Atticus rose from his bow and began to walk behind Magnus as they proceeded down the hallway.
As they walked in tandem, Atticus couldn't help but be captivated by Magnus's movements. The precision with which Magnus conducted himself was nothing short of extraordinary.
Every step, every gesture, seemed to be calculated to perfection. His footfalls were so discreet that they were nearly imperceptible in the quiet hallway.
If not for the fact that Atticus was currently staring at Magnus's feet, he would never have believed that Magnus was currently walking.
Even back then, at the event, when Atticus had copied his demeanor, it had taken almost everything he had to maintain that form for the few seconds they had walked. And even then, Atticus was sure that he hadn't been able to accurately copy the way Magnus moved.
There was a certain depth to the way he moved, a depth Atticus didn't seem to be able to comprehend, no matter how hard he tried.
As they continued down the corridor, Atticus soon noticed that they were heading toward the Advanced training room.
A short time later, Atticus found himself standing within one of the pristine white training rooms, the door sliding closed behind him.
Magnus, who had been silently observing Atticus, finally spoke. "I've been watching you for the past two weeks."
Atticus's eyes widened at this revelation, but before he could formulate a response, Magnus delivered a blunt assessment. "You train like a fool."
Atticus froze as he heard this. 'Fool?' He thought in his head.
The reason why he had been shocked by Magnus's first words wasn't because he was wondering how he had spied on him.
Magnus was a Paragon, the current pinnacle of human strength. Atticus couldn't even begin to fathom how powerful he was, but he was at least sure that Magnus would be able to monitor every single thing happening in the estate if he wished.
What baffled Atticus was that he couldn't wrap his head around why Magnus had been spying on him for two weeks without ever saying anything.
But Atticus's thoughts kept centering around Magnus's words, 'Training like a fool?' How was pushing himself to the limits training like a fool?
Atticus gazed at Magnus, his expression filled with questions.
Seeing Atticus's confused expression, Magnus continued, "Your bloodline. It grants you control over all the elements, right?"
From the way Magnus sounded, Atticus immediately knew he wasn't referring only to the four elements; he meant all the elements.
Atticus pondered for a second on whether he should reveal this information to Magnus or not. But he eventually decided to. He could feel something good was coming from all of this.
Plus, he was sure Magnus was already aware of this from the way he asked. He didn't sound as if he was asking to know; he sounded as if he simply wanted Atticus to admit it first before he continued.
"Yes, Grandfather," Atticus responded.
Magnus nodded, seemingly satisfied that Atticus had told the truth, his lips curling up but quickly reverting back to normal, the change so fast that even Atticus's keen perception couldn't catch it.
Magnus continued, "Good, so why aren't you using the other elements?"
Magnus's question hung in the air for a few seconds, leaving Atticus completely lost. "Other elements?"
'It's true the primordial elemental bloodline gives me the power to control all elements, but don't I have to reach a certain level first?' Atticus pondered.
From the description of his bloodline, Atticus already knew he would be able to control all the elements, but the bloodline was limited because of his subpar strength, and the system never indicated what level he had to reach before they could get unlocked.
Plus, after he entered the advanced rank, while he felt his connection to the elements had increased, Atticus simply brushed it off as his increased rank increasing his bloodline potency.
Atticus was brought out of his thoughts by Magnus. "I can sense the elements of light, darkness, and a little bit of space around you. Why aren't you making use of them?" Magnus inquired.
Magnus's words made Atticus's eyes widen, and he immediately decided to check something he hadn't checked in a while.
He subtly thought in his head, 'status,' and a holographic interface materialized in front of him…