Ember was crazy.
She could train the whole day without even eating a meal. If not because she was basically forced to come and eat in the dining room, she would, without a doubt, train for the entire duration of the day.
And now looking at Ember, her hard work truly paid off.
"You've grown. A lot," Atticus said with a warm smile.
"You too," Ember also commented while observing Atticus.
Apart from the fact that Atticus was now currently taller than her, Ember was now at the expert- rank. Which was the usual rank most in the human domain awakened their perception.
And gazing at Atticus, although what she could currently feel was he was in Advanced+ rank, Ember knew better than to believe that bullshit.
Atticus's smile widened as he noticed Ember's probe.
"We have a lot of catching up to do," Atticus said and grabbed Ember's hand.
Just as he was about to start leaving,
"Ahem!" a sound suddenly grabbed their attention.
Atticus, Kael, and Ember turned their gazes towards the duo who had been standing silently all this while.
Atticus observed both of them silently.
One of them was a boy whose distinct features unmistakably belonged to the Enigmalnk family.
He bore the family's signature blue hair and a surprisingly subtle, demotivated expression— the trademark look worn by most Enigmalnk family members.
But unlike the other members of his family, he looked more.. full of life?
The Enigmalnk family was a lineage of rune smiths. To cultivate their will, they routinely depleted their reserves, engaging in battles to persist through various challenges.
This practice, repeated over time, allowed them to fortify their will. Therefore, it was quite unusual to observe one of them brimming with vigor.
Dressed impeccably in a scarlet coat complemented by black innerwear and pants, the young man displayed a subtle hint of facial hair, a burgeoning beard on the cusp of emerging.
Just behind the boy was the figure of an unattractive lady.
Standing at a diminutive 5ft1, she was remarkably short. Her lavender colored hair and dark eyes framed a countenance that, despite societal norms, carried a distinctive allure.
'She looks exactly like that boy,' Atticus immediately recalled Emeric's features back when he had fought him during the division war. She had all the features of the Psyquillian family members.
"Wasn't that a bit rude? You completely ignored us as though we weren't here," the boy said with a small smile playing on his lips.
But instead of the response he was expecting, all he got was three gazes focused on him. Two expressionless gazes of Ember and Kael and then one neutral gaze of Atticus.
Atticus chose not to respond to anything. Immediately he saw that unattractive girl beside him, his guard had already been raised two fold.
Atticus had no idea how their power worked or what conditions they had to fulfill. Although he could make a guess utilizing everything Emeric had done when they faced each other, Atticus couldn't rely on that information 100%.
What if they didn't have to be the one who questioned the target? What if there were different conditions for each member of their family? Too many uncertainties.
And even though his will was substantially high, Atticus had already promised not to ever let his guard down again.
What cemented this fact was what Atticus had observed when he hugged Ember.
He remained acutely aware of everything happening in his immediate surroundings at all times.
With his exceptionally high perception, there was no way he would miss any small change in expression, regardless of how subtle the person thought they were.
The boy still maintained his characteristic smile even in the face of the lack of response.
He brought out his right hand towards Atticus for a handshake,
"My name is Dezazeus Enigmalnk. It's nice to finally meet the famed Atticus."
But once again, all he received was the trio's cold stare.
The girl behind Dezazeus couldn't take it anymore as she burst out with anger,
"How dare you treat young master De-," the girl shouted, but her words were abruptly stopped by Dezazeus who raised his arm.
She immediately stopped shouting and stood quietly behind Dezazeus like an obedient dog.
Dezazeus brought his stretched hand back, still maintaining the smile on his lips. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Atticus suddenly speaking,
"It's obvious you don't like me, so stop pretending. It's pathetic. I don't know why nor do I care, but I've experienced enough to know that you would probably do something stupid eventually. So how about we settle our differences and fight right now?"
Dezazeus was baffled.
Atticus wanted to fight him?
He was an Enigmalnk.
The Enigmalnk family had always birthed individuals with high intelligence from a young age, which made youths from the Enigmalnk family awaken their perception long before many others in the human domain.
Even before Dezazeus entered the academy, he had already awakened his perception.
And observing Atticus, Dezazeus was well aware that he was in the Advanced+ rank.
He had also witnessed the fight between him and Kael, and although they had displayed powers beyond their years, they were still far behind the geniuses of the third years.
It was all of these that baffled him so much. No matter how fast he thought, he just couldn't understand it.
Just what was giving him so much confidence?
He couldn't help but let out a chuckle. And just as he was about to respond, he was interrupted once again, "I see," Atticus said, and before Dezazeus could react, he turned and started walking away with Ember and Kael in tow.
Dezazeus stood there for a moment, eyebrows raised as he stared at their backs.
In the academy, age seniority held no significance. Respect was earned through one thing alone – power.
This principle extended throughout the human domain. Yet, Dezazeus possessed that power, so why did Atticus defy the logical order?
The only plausible reason would be if Atticus were stupid, but Dezazeus dismissed that notion swiftly.
'Those eyes,' he thought.
Having grown up amidst family members who possessed similar discerning gazes, Dezazeus was certain of Atticus's intelligence. This fact only added to the confusion swirling in his mind.
If Atticus was indeed intelligent, why make such a senseless move? He had recklessly made an unknown enemy without consideration.
'Why?' Dezazeus pondered.
"Young master, just say the word," he was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of his subordinate.
Dezazeus stared at the bowed form of the girl for a few moments without uttering a word.
Then, he shifted his gaze away from her and began walking, his cold words cutting through the air.
"Leave him. He will learn his place at the leader's summit."