Atticus stopped thinking about things he had no power over and started making his way toward the middle of the camp where a large fenced estate was located.
Although he looked completely normal, Atticus would be lying if he said that the matter with Zoey hadn't affected him. He truly didn't understand what had happened—she had abruptly changed out of nowhere.
But regardless, Atticus wasn't the type to let that stop him. His goal remained unchanged.
Atticus had no intention of attracting any attention or crowd, which was why, as soon as he hit the streets, he instantly activated his ethereal cloak art.
A surge of mana engulfed him, his figure becoming faint before disappearing altogether.
Atticus moved quickly through the paved streets and reached his location in under a minute. He had chosen not to fly because he wanted to get a close view of the city.
Reaching the estate, Atticus easily scaled the fence and entered, making his way through it.
He had seen a lot of students back in the city, but no Ravensteins. Atticus found out the reason why after a few minutes of running brought him to the back of a large mansion where an expansive training ground was situated.
The training grounds were filled with a multitude of white haired students, many of them engaged in different spars.
Atticus couldn't help but notice that the training grounds were a lot more advanced than theirs. It had way more mana in it, and the equipment was also more numerous and of higher quality.
Entering the space, Atticus's gaze instantly landed on the one he had come for, his figure suddenly becoming visible as he released his ethereal cloak art.
Atticus's sudden appearance didn't go unnoticed. Many of the Ravenstein third years couldn't help but flinch as they saw Atticus, but among them, there were four individuals whose reactions were particularly intense, as though they had seen the scariest thing in their lives.
They were none other than William and Helodor Ravenstein, with the other two being William's subordinates.
William had been stupid enough to scheme against Atticus with his father during the gift awarding ceremony, while Helodor had been working for Rowan, Aurora's father, who had wanted to kill Atticus.
It went without saying that they were all scared out of their wits. William and Helodor had both been victims of Atticus's brutal beatings; the fear that lingered in their hearts was not small in any way, especially considering the cruelty Atticus had shown since he arrived at the academy.
They each moved backward, putting a significant distance between themselves and the approaching Atticus. The others, instead, approached Atticus with smiles, offering their greetings by bowing respectfully.
Atticus responded with curt nods, but he couldn't help but stop as he reached the figure of Hella.
There was no way Atticus could ever forget their over serious squad leader back at the Raven camp.
Hella truly hadn't changed much. She wore a tight-fitted training suit and had her white hair tied into a ponytail. Considering how small it was, Atticus could tell that she had cut it down significantly.
Although she looked beautiful, her whole demeanor screamed alpha. There was no mistaking her for someone who took charge.
A small smile appeared on Atticus's face as he greeted, "It's been a while, Hella."
Hella simply responded with a respectful nod.
Atticus could, of course, notice her changed demeanor when it came to dealing with him. It was more respectful than back at the Raven camp, which was understandable.
Passing by, Atticus exchanged nods with Orion before his gaze settled on Ember. He hadn't even bothered to pay attention to William and Helodor cowering behind the group.
Atticus had already taught them a lesson they would never forget. That was enough for him. Unless they were stupid enough to scheme or attack him again, Atticus wouldn't even go near them.
"Atticus?"
Atticus met Ember's curious stare. It was the same exact stare the other Ravenstein third years were giving him too—what was he doing here, and how did he get here in the first place?
Atticus didn't waste time and did the same thing he did for Zoey. He explained everything, of course leaving out the irrelevant parts. After a few minutes, the third-year Ravenstein youths all had looks of understanding on their faces.
Ember's reaction wasn't as dramatic as the others; she didn't see any reason for it. This was especially evident as the third years would be leaving the academy for the military in a few days.
Ember wouldn't even be in the academy again. She simply gave Atticus a deep hug, surprising the latter that she actually took the initiative.
"Good luck, Atticus," Ember muttered softly and succinctly, leaving the hug after a few seconds.
Atticus smiled, thanking her, after which the rest of the Ravenstein third years also expressed their well wishes, except William and Helodor, of course, who hadn't dared to go near where Atticus was.
After a few minutes of well wishes and goodbyes, a golden glow enveloped Atticus, and he left the scene.
Not a second passed, and Atticus appeared in another division camp, but it wasn't his. It wasn't nearly as developed as Ember's division, looking more in line with what a first-year camp should have at this point.
Atticus didn't waste time sightseeing this time around. Making himself invisible, he started searching for his target.
There were hundreds of tents sprawled about and just a few buildings. This time around, Atticus hadn't seen any mansion, but as he got to where it would usually be situated, just beside the imposing terminal, Atticus was met with an incredibly large training ground.
Although not as advanced as Ember's, it had also been upgraded. Atticus's eyes instantly landed on the hundreds of youths currently donned in armor, each of them seemingly circling around someone, their weapons on hand.
Now and then, the figures of more than ten students would get thrown backward at fast speed as though being moved by an invisible force.
Atticus was instantly drawn to the middle of the training ground where the largest cluster of students was gathered and circling about.
His gaze immediately landed on the one he had come to see. Just in the middle of the clustered students, with his characteristic expressionless face, was the figure of Kael.
Attacks were unleashed from all sides using different weapons, but none seemed able to touch him.
At every other second, his figure would blur with him not appearing to have moved an inch from his position.
However, the figures of multitudes of students would find an overwhelming force acting on them, shooting them backward with speed.