As Atticus stepped through the portal, it didn't quite feel like teleportation. To him, it was more like passing through a doorway.
He was met with an intense white light before the scenery shifted to something truly enchanting.
A lush grassland stretched out in every direction, and just ahead, about 100 meters away, was a walled village. The term "village" was used only because of its size, but its structure and buildings looked far more sophisticated.
Atticus noted the portal closing behind him just as he finished scanning the entire area.
'No guards.'
With this realization, light molecules began converging around the area, casting an illusion that would deceive any onlookers.
In the next moment, the head of the burly man, who was the leader of the group, separated from his body.
The last man in the group widened his eyes in shock, but before he could react, he suddenly lost connection to every single one of his limbs.
"H-huh?"
It took a second for the realization to set in, and the shock that enveloped the man as he saw each of his limbs severed was palpable.
Atticus created an air barrier around the man's head. As an extra precaution, he also created another barrier with a 30-meter radius, blocking out all sound.
They were currently standing on top of a small hill with the village at the bottom. Atticus moved the bodies of the burly man and the limbless man further away from the village, reaching an area with grass that stood over 2 meters tall.
'This should be perfect.'
As soon as Atticus saw it, he immediately approached and entered the grassy field. The man who had his limbs cut off was screaming at the top of his lungs as Atticus moved him, but not a single sound escaped the air barrier around his head. It was airtight.
Once Atticus had walked a significant distance into the field, the light molecules surrounded him in a 20-meter radius, creating an illusion and making it appear as though nothing was there.
Then, he began his work.
Atticus was deep in enemy territory and knew nothing about his surroundings. He would have preferred to kill the two, but it was a risky decision, and he needed information.
Both men were in the master and master- ranks, and Atticus chose to interrogate the master- rank. The man was likely to have less mental fortitude than the master rank, plus it would be easier to keep him in check.
However, a master- rank was still formidable, which was why Atticus was being so careful.
He started by taking the ring and other artifacts the leader had used to enter this space and burning his corpse, making sure the limbless man saw everything. The man's eyes widened in fear.
Afterward, Atticus's piercing blue eyes fixed themselves on the man, his aura cold.
The man flinched, and an overwhelming fear settled deep in his heart. There was something about Atticus—something about his aura—that told the man he shouldn't be messed with.
Unfortunately for the man, he didn't realize that this was simply one of the effects of Atticus's incredibly high will. It wasn't something someone in the master rank should possess!
Atticus's thoughts and feelings were affecting his surroundings, imposing themselves on those around him. Should he feel angry, the people around him would feel that intense anger. And now, Atticus was looking at the man as though he were an insignificant ant. The red shroud covering his face didn't help matters.
The man felt small. He felt insignificant. And he felt the need to worship.
Seconds passed, and Atticus hadn't uttered a word. This soon changed.
"You have no more limbs and are currently feeling an incredible amount of pain, but I can assure you that I can make you feel a hundred times more pain than this. Think wisely,"
Atticus spoke without emotion, his words straight to the point. He had never been one to waste time. He gave the frightened man a few seconds to think before continuing.
"Where am I?"
…
A man sat cross-legged on a round mat in the middle of the room. He was clad in a yellow Chinese robe, with raven-black hair tied into a ponytail behind him and a well-trimmed goatee.
The atmosphere was peaceful and serene, but unfortunately, everything has an end.
The man clicked his tongue in irritation as if he knew what was about to happen.
The door to the room suddenly burst open, and a man walked in.
"Alvis! When are we going to leave this accursed place? We've been here for more than five years already, and now we don't even get good food anymore!"
The man sitting in the middle of the room was none other than Alvis, the head of the Obsidian Order in Sector 3. The second man who entered was Ronad, the head of the Order in Sector 4 and the same man who had killed Ariel, Avalon's brother, and Ember as Caldor's father some years back.
A frown appeared on Alvis's lips, and he clicked his tongue in irritation.
He spoke, his voice deep,
"Ronad, I've told you time and again, if you want to leave and get hunted down and killed like a useless dog, then be my guest. But stop interrupting my peaceful time."
However, it was as though Ronad didn't even hear anything Alvis said.
"It's been hell, Alvis! We're the Obsidian Order, we're literally terrorists! When are we going to put those arrogant sons of bitches in their place?"
Ronad complained. After the incident at the Raven camp, the Obsidian Order had gone into full hiding, trying to rebuild their forces. During that time, they hadn't shown their faces or launched any attacks against the human domain.
To Ronad, it had been the worst years of his life; he wasn't the type to remain idle. In fact, although he wouldn't say it, the only reason he joined the Obsidian Order was because he wanted to cause chaos!
Alvis inhaled deeply. 'What an idiot,' he thought.
"Just one of those 'arrogant sons of bitches' almost wiped us all out. When your brain starts functioning properly, you should come back; otherwise, I think it's best you leave,"
Alvis could still remember Magnus's overwhelming display of power. They had narrowly escaped before he reached them, but that might not happen again.
Ronad ignored Alvis and sat down in front of him, a frown on his face. It was obvious that they were used to dealing with each other.
"You know, Alvis, I just want us to return to our former glory. Ever since that incident, we haven't done anything, and those bastards in the other sectors refuse to come to our aid. Rotten bitches,"
The Obsidian Order had branches in every sector of the human domain, and even though the branches in Sectors 3 and 4 had almost been wiped out, the other branches refused to offer any help.
Alvis sighed. 'Why can't he just leave me alone?'
Seeing that Ronad had no intention of leaving, Alvis shook his head before responding.
"The branches have always maintained autonomy, and you know it's only that man who can bring us all together. And I've constantly told you, Ronad, have patience. We've been trying to build up our forces for years to find the right time to strike."
"Yeah, right! That's what you've been saying for years! When will that right time come?"
Alvis sighed. He had really hoped to keep this from Ronad because he knew how extra the man could be, but he really wanted his peaceful time back.
"Listen. Before the communication with the Vermore family went dead, I was briefed on the ongoing matters in the human domain. Darius had informed us to be ready to act at any moment,"
"To act?"
"Yes. The tension between the Ravenstein family and many of the Tier 1 families will soon reach its peak. A war is inevitable. Our time to strike will come when this happens."
"Really?!" Ronad screamed at the top of his lungs, jumping up. The thought of all the chaos about to occur excited him to the core.
"Yes. The Alverian family is already moving; a war with the Ravensteins is expected to happen soon."
Ronad grinned. He didn't even care about the fact that Alvis had kept this from him. Instead, he was more excited about the possibility of putting the Ravensteins in their place. After all the incidents with them, he wanted nothing more than their eradication.
As he imagined everything, suddenly and without warning, Ronad started laughing out loud, his voice so loud that Alvis was forced to block his ears.
Afterward, he turned and left the room without saying another word.
Alvis stared at the door Ronad had just left through with cold eyes. He hadn't told Ronad everything.
The reason for all the hatred toward the Ravenstein family was because of one boy, that same boy who had supposedly defeated his disciple five years ago.
'Atticus Ravenstein. I should have killed that boy when I had the chance. At the very least, he was a great help this time around, but he's growing too fast. I'll have to kill him after he leaves the academy,'
With that in mind, Alvis closed his eyes and continued his meditation.