The next day, as soon as Atticus woke up at 5 AM, he wore his fitted training suit. And without alerting anyone in the camp, he left and headed to the caves to train.
Atticus's training became completely routine, exactly the way he liked it— being persistent and continuously improving.
He 'sparred,' which was basically a total beat down, against the shadow Seraphon, utilizing his elements and arts at full power while also making sure not to kill the poor beast.
After a few hours of this, Atticus found one random wall and sat down, quickly engraving his first 6 runes before drinking the will renewal potion.
Then he sat down cross legged, meditating while also absorbing mana into his mana core.
After fully recovering his will, Atticus engraved the last six runes he had to engrave for the day and then sat, absorbing mana for a few hours.
Seeing that it was almost 10, Atticus stopped his training and started making his way back towards the camp.
Following a few minutes of enjoying a hot, steamy bath, Atticus stepped out of the bathroom. After a quick wipe, he put on a pair of clothes he had never worn before.
Anastasia had packed far too many clothes for Atticus before he came to the academy— so many outfits he doubted he could finish wearing them all if he were to put on a new outfit every day for the duration of the academy first year.
It was a lot!
After a few minutes, Atticus was fully dressed.
He brought out a full mirror from his space ring to check out his appearance, and he couldn't help but nod in acknowledgment. "Not bad," he muttered.
He was draped in a white trench coat, its pristine color accentuating a sense of elegance, the fabric cascaded down, swaying with an invisible grace.
The black inner robe beneath added a touch of contrast, adorned with an array of different pins.
His lustrous white hair was meticulously tied back into a ponytail, secured with a simple yet refined band.
His captivating blue eyes seemed to reflect a quiet confidence, adding an enigmatic allure to his stunning appearance.
The collar of the trench coat stood tall, framing his face with a touch of regality.
The coat draped over his form as though caught in an unseen breeze, giving the impression that even the fabric responded to an ethereal force, further enhancing the air of mystique around him.
He truly looked stunning.
Unlike the usual robe Atticus usually wore, this was a huge step up. Although Atticus would never admit it, one of the main reasons he was putting on this trench coat today was because he saw it on a particular blue-haired youth, and he thought it looked really cool.
The second reason was well because of a… girl.
"Ahem!" Atticus audibly cleared his throat and put back the full mirror inside his space ring.
Then he turned and left the room, navigating through the barracks and the camp and arriving at the front of the terminal in just over a minute.
Atticus observed Lucas, Nate, and many other Ravenstein youths already waiting in front of the terminal for their scheduled time.
So they would be transported to their respective locations for classes.
The rest of the students were, as usual, gathered all around the terminal behind them.
Lucas nodded at Atticus with a smile, with the rest bowing in respect. Many of their eyes were fixed on Atticus appearance.
Atticus was already handsome, even while wearing his usual plain robes. However, now that he was dressed so stunningly, he was breathtaking.
The eyes of the girls in the crowd couldn't help but flash as they all focused their gazes on him.
While Nate stared at his front absentmindedly, just like yesterday.
Sigh.
Nate sighed, releasing an audible exhale; his expression as though the world was coming to an end.
He gave off the kind of vibe one would have when looking into the distance, reminiscing about life once again before finally accepting and embracing the inevitable end.
Atticus shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. Turning his gaze to Lucas, "Same class?" He asked.
Lucas nodded in response. His eyes were slightly swollen and filled with two large eye bags. It was obvious he didn't get much sleep the night before.
"Rune engraving?" Atticus didn't need to think much to guess what caused his wearied look.
Lucas nodded once more with a tired look on his face. Neither said anything after that, and after a few seconds, Aurora joined the group.
She was looking slightly better than yesterday when she had to go to school without Atticus.
'Good, it's better she gets used to this. We won't always be together,' Atticus thought while observing Aurora's determined gait.
After a few minutes of waiting, the clock struck 10:30 AM, and once again, the obsidian floor lit up a slight golden glow.
None of the students needed to be told what to do next, but they all still stood still, subtly turning their gazes towards Atticus as if waiting for him to act first.
Atticus turned his gaze towards Nate but was surprised to see that the latter didn't wait for him to be tossed like the last time; he absentmindedly walked into the golden light by himself.
Atticus chuckled. Seeing that Nate had entered, after a brief goodbye to Aurora and the other Ravenstein youths, Atticus also entered the golden light.
As soon as he found himself inside the pristine white room, unlike the last time where he had wasted a little time here, Atticus instantly walked towards the door and stepped out of the room.
He was instantly met with the usual see-through glass wall and the beautiful expansive garden.
'Hm?' Atticus turned to see the figure of Kael, who had just stepped out of his room, staring at him with his characteristic expressionless face.
And slightly ahead, the breathtaking figure of Zoey Starhaven was also staring at him.
Their gazes met.
It was just for a second, but to Atticus with his incredibly high perception that he didn't hesitate to utilize, it felt like a decade.
'Amethyst eyes,'
Zoey turned her gaze around, breaking their stare, as she started walking away from the scene, leaving Atticus who just kept staring at her departing figure.
After a few moments,
"She's gone already; we're going to be late for class," Atticus was abruptly brought out of his daze by the sound of someone speaking.