Zoey didn't even know how to feel. It was as though the emotions kept coming one by one. First, there was sadness because she would miss Atticus, followed by jealousy that he would be leaving the academy and not her, and then finally anger—angry at the fact that she was feeling jealous in the first place.
Zoey's hands clenched hard by her sides. The initially ranting of Lumindra came to an abrupt stop, simply observing as Zoey went through all these emotions.
She could feel everything Zoey was feeling; she didn't even need to hear her thoughts to understand her. But regardless, Lumindra didn't utter a word. These were all natural feelings that one had to overcome on their own. Zoey was human, after all.
Atticus could see every single one of her movements, no matter how subtle. 'She's angry?' He could tell that she was angry about something but didn't know exactly what it was.
"Can't I-" Zoey hesitated to speak, but Atticus could immediately predict what she wanted to say.
Atticus closed the distance and held her clenched hands, freeing them before she could injure herself.
He could immediately feel the softness and warmth of her touch. It should be a first-class felony for anything to dare damage her smooth and flawless palm.
"What's wrong?" Atticus asked, fixing his eyes directly on Zoey's. Zoey averted her gaze, her grip on Atticus's hands tightening. She felt completely disgusted with herself that she couldn't face Atticus. The fact that he was still worried about her made her feel even more guilty.
A few seconds passed, and just as Atticus was about to speak, Zoey suddenly took in a deep breath, exhaling in the next second. She raised her head, her gaze meeting Atticus's.
Then she flashed a small smile. "It's fine. I was just… surprised."
'She's faking,' Atticus thought. Not even a world-class actor could fool him. He could immediately see the stiffness in her smile.
Zoey suddenly closed the distance and hugged Atticus, startling him.
"I'm going to miss you, At," she muttered softly. And Atticus, who heard her, immediately hugged her tightly.
"I'll miss you too," he said, taking in her scent, which smelled like flowers, and feeling her warmth, which seemed to calm his mind. He truly was going to miss her.
They both remained in this position for a while before Atticus suddenly spoke. "So, will I get my answer before I leave?"
Atticus's words made Zoey's initially closed eyes open, but Atticus couldn't see her expression due to the hug.
Her expression instantly morphed into sadness. She closed her eyes for a second before opening them, her expression firming.
She left the hug, meeting Atticus's gaze, who currently had a small smile. "I'll give you an answer the next time we meet."
Atticus paused, his eyes widening slightly. Wasn't that basically a refusal?
He had kind of hoped that she would accept before he left the academy, that way he would at least, even if not completely, feel assured that she would wait for him.
It might sound normal, her wanting to give an answer after she finished the academy, but to Atticus, it felt like she was just avoiding telling him a straight no.
Atticus's smile faltered. "Did something happen?" he just had to ask.
Atticus hadn't said anything, but he had overheard the conversation between Zoey and Lumindra. She had been thinking of accepting before—what changed?
Zoey shook her head, her fake smile undisturbed as she responded, "No, nothing happened. Since you're leaving tomorrow, don't you still have people to say goodbye to?"
Atticus stared at Zoey for a moment, not saying anything. Zoey blinked a couple of times while looking at Atticus. "What's wrong?" Zoey asked.
Atticus didn't say anything for a few seconds. He didn't know what to say.
A small smile appeared on Atticus's face in the next instance, fake in its entirety. "I was just admiring your beauty," he claimed.
Zoey's smile widened. "Thanks, Atticus."
With another good look, Atticus closed the distance and gave Zoey another hug. "I'll see you soon," he muttered.
And just as swiftly, he turned and started walking away from the scene while tapping his artifact.
'She's going through a lot of new emotions all at once. You have to be patient with her.'
Atticus suddenly paused but didn't turn back. He had just heard a voice speak in his head. There was no way he could mistake it; it was the same petite voice of Zoey's spirit.
Atticus nodded subtly without turning back, and in the next second, a golden glow enveloped him, and then he disappeared.
Zoey stared at where Atticus had just disappeared from, her expression instantly morphing into sadness. Two trails of tears streamed down her face, and she moved her right arm to wipe them.
The figure of Lumindra suddenly materialized in front of her, her usual bubbly expression nowhere to be found as she stared at Zoey with a gaze filled with sadness.
Lumindra simply fluttered forward and landed on Zoey's head, her tiny arms patting her head gently in a reassuring manner.
Zoey really wanted to say yes to Atticus, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it, especially after experiencing all those disgusting emotions a few minutes ago.
Giant wings suddenly sprouted from Zoey's back, not a single ripple of pain on her face as she shot upwards with speed, her head a maelstrom of thoughts.
The next person Atticus went to see was Ember. Appearing at her camp, Atticus was shocked.
Compared to his, despite his overwhelming win during each division war, it was like comparing heaven and earth.
His camp would be a rural village while Ember's would be a city filled with futuristic buildings and technology.
The whole ground was paved, and it seemed as though each student had a small house to themselves, the whole expanse looking like a city.
Gazing at this spectacular scene, Atticus couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. It was very obvious that during each year, they would grow their camp and build it as they wished.
It sounded incredibly interesting, and Atticus was a little sad he would miss out on it.