Atticus walked away with Ember and Kael in tow.
'Leader's summit?' He pondered.
Despite having moved a considerable distance away from Dezazeus and his subordinate, Atticus's senses were far too sharp.
He remained acutely aware of everything happening around him. Even at this distance, he was still able to pick up on what Dezazeus said.
Upon hearing him, he couldn't help but wonder what the leader's summit was all about.
Hoping not to waste time pondering about this, Atticus decided to consult his device for answers.
Atticus suddenly clicked on his device, navigating to the oracle section. He subtly muttered, "What is the leader's summit?"
Although his voice was low, it didn't escape the ears of Ember and Kael, who were walking beside him.
Kael had a look of confusion upon hearing Atticus's question, but Ember had a subtle look of recognition, obviously knowledgeable about what Atticus had asked.
A prompt displayed in front of Atticus, showing the response of the Oracle:
The leader's summit is an annual competition hosted by the academy. This competition aims to enable the students to have fun and release the pent-up stress they have experienced due to academic difficulties. During this competition, the top 10 leaders of each year, along with a single chosen companion, would be selected to compete in a game that would be watched by all.
'Hmm,' Atticus stared at the text for a second. The leader's summit was simply a competition between the top 10 of every year.
'I see, so regardless of the year, we would all participate in the same game?' Atticus thought.
Even though there was nothing like seniority in the academy, it was without a doubt that the majority of the higher years were stronger than the lower years.
This was especially true for the geniuses of each year. The current top 10 leaders in the first year could defeat many of the other ordinary members of the second and even third year.
But when the geniuses of the higher years were brought in, some of them would fall short.
And this was why it was without a doubt that the third years would be expected to win.
Atticus stopped thinking about all of these things, and just as he was about to close the interface, an idea suddenly sprung up in his head.
"Tell me everything I should know about the first year in the academy. All the events, occasions, or whatever the academy has in store for us," Atticus asked.
They hadn't been informed about the competition beforehand. If Atticus hadn't overheard Dezazeus, he probably wouldn't have even found out about it this early.
He had asked the oracle initially, not really expecting an answer, and was a little surprised when he received one.
A holographic display materialized in front of his face, displaying the answer:
The Oracle apologizes. You will have to be more specific with your question. The oracle was programmed to only respond to direct questions, and my program doesn't encapsulate such a broad spectrum. Additionally, the current first-year students haven't gotten access to all the information pertaining to the events of their year.
The Oracle can only provide answers to the information the students have access to.
'As expected,' Atticus thought. There was no way the academy would make things so easy for them.
Atticus's thoughts suddenly shifted towards Ember. 'That's right, she's a third year. But I doubt…' he thought. Despite thinking otherwise, he still decided to ask.
He turned towards Ember, who was already looking at him with her usual aloof expression, "Ember, are you allowed to tell me anything about the academy?" he inquired.
Ember blinked twice before shaking her head in response.
'Of course.'
There was simply no way the academy wouldn't cover up such a massive and obvious source of information.
If they were going to let the higher years mix with the lower years, it was obvious they would have imposed certain restrictions on the higher years to prevent them from divulging any information to the lower years.
Atticus decided to leave the matter for now. He turned towards Kael, who hadn't said anything during the entire duration of the events.
Atticus's expression turned apologetic as he spoke, "Sorry about all of this." Atticus apologized.
He had promised to hang out with Kael, but he just couldn't help it. He was far too excited to see Ember that he had immediately rushed over.
Kael maintained his expressionless face as he responded, his voice neutral, "It's fine."
Atticus narrowed his eyes slightly, maintaining eye contact with him for a few seconds before relenting with a sigh, "Okay, if you say so."
Kael nodded.
"I'll excuse myself," Kael added, and before Atticus could even offer a response, he turned and started walking away from the duo.
Atticus couldn't help but smile wryly while gazing at Kael's retreating figure. 'What a weird boy,' he thought.
Even till now, Atticus still hadn't been able to get any read on the boy. He was always maintaining that same expressionless face.
Sometimes it was hard to tell if the boy could even feel any emotions.
He had no idea why he had even requested to hang out in the first place. Was it because he wanted them to become friends?
Atticus released a short sigh, deciding to stop thinking about it. He was truly an odd one.
Atticus turned his gaze away from Kael's retreating figure and faced Ember, his lips curling up into a smile, "So Ember, how has the academy's life been?" Atticus asked.
"Tough," Ember responded, her voice barely audible.
Many might find it difficult to converse with Ember while she was speaking in such a barely audible tone, but apart from being completely used to it, Atticus's ears were able to pick up even lower sounds than this, so it wasn't hard for him.
Atticus and Ember both walked together in the garden with smiles on their faces while catching up on everything that had happened in the years that had passed since they last saw each other.
…
About 100 meters away, a boy gazed at the back of Atticus's figure with a cold glint in his eyes.
He had all the distinct features reminiscent of the Alverian family. Standing at 5'10 feet, his red hair was tied to a ponytail that flowed down to his back.
This boy was none other than Dell Alverian, the older brother of Lila Alverian.
'Finally,' Dell thought, a cold smile playing on his lips.