Niall had never felt so humiliated in his decades of life. He had always been at the top of the food chain, the boss, and the general to the Sovereign. However, these past few days had left him feeling utterly degraded.
He, a grandmaster, a general, and the vizier to the Sovereign, had been reduced to a watchdog and a maid, hunting for food at the whims of a mere boy.
Atticus hadn't spoken any words to him apart from "Get me food and make sure nothing disturbs my training." Which left Niall with no choice but to comply.
The days passed quickly, and during this time, Atticus remained completely focused on absorbing mana. The challenges posed by the master ranks compared to the expert ranks were immense. It was already expected, but even so, the sheer amount of mana required to rank up was staggering.
It was unthinkable where he would reach should he decide to spend the rest of the year inside the chasm, but he had only been required to spend two months. And soon enough, the day arrived.
"Hold my hand," Atticus commanded.
Niall's brows furrowed. He had heard about the degrading things that some masters did to their slaves and couldn't imagine himself in such a position. 'I would rather die!'
"It's an order," Atticus said firmly.
A wave of intense pain hit Niall as he resisted. However, he didn't want to die. Meeting Atticus's cold eyes, a certain realization set in. 'I might be overreacting,' he thought. After all, Atticus didn't seem the type for… well, whatever it was he was imagining.
Reluctantly, he grabbed Atticus's outstretched arm. The silence that followed was suffocating. Niall stood there, awkwardly holding onto Atticus's arm, his mind racing with a million questions. Was he supposed to say something? Was there a secret handshake he didn't know about?
A minute passed. Niall's discomfort grew, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, the situation changed.
Without warning, tendrils of lightning materialized, wrapping around both him and Atticus.
Niall jumped, nearly yanking his hand back. "Wait, what?! Is this some sort of weird electric handshake? Should I have prepared for this?!"
Unlike the Sovereign, Niall wasn't too well-versed in human customs and cultures. All he knew was that this was weird on so many levels.
The tendrils of lightning multiplied until they enveloped both Atticus and Niall in a cocoon of electricity. Then, like a bolt of lightning, it streaked through the air at blinding speed across the forest and into the dark caves.
Just as Atticus was about to completely leave, he suddenly heard a whisper in his ear followed by the sound of laughter.
"My name… Whisker Von Pounce," the voice said.
Atticus's expression inside the cocoon of lightning changed. 'What the hell…' he thought. The man really couldn't think of a better name?
A few seconds later, Atticus felt the lightning around him dissipating, and in front of him was the overwhelming presence of Magnus.
Atticus felt a slight tingle as though something or someone was thoroughly probing him.
"Grandfather," Atticus bowed and greeted respectfully. Although Magnus was suppressing his aura, Atticus's advancement into the master- rank made him realize just how overwhelmingly powerful Magnus was. His aura was thick, almost like a liquid that engulfed him.
"You've made great gains," Magnus nodded approvingly.
"I got lucky," Atticus replied modestly.
Magnus stared at Atticus without saying anything.
'His will…' Magnus thought, immediately recognizing the profound change in Atticus's demeanor. As a Paragon, there was no way such a transformation could escape his notice.
Atticus appeared calmer, sharper, and his eyes were clearer, reflecting a newfound clarity and determination.
Magnus's gaze shifted to Niall, who had immediately knelt down on one knee with his head bowed the moment he saw Magnus.
Niall could feel the same domineering aura that his Sovereign usually exuded emanating from Magnus. It was an instinctual reaction to the overwhelming presence of a Paragon.
Noticing Magnus's gaze, Atticus quickly explained. "I encountered him inside the chasm, and due to certain circumstances, he became my slave through a mana contract."
Magnus knew there was more to the story than what Atticus had shared, but he chose not to press further.
"Alright. You should go get some rest after a long shower and a change of clothes…" Magnus suggested.
Atticus's mouth twitched slightly. He knew he was in rough shape—his body was smelly, and his clothes were tattered, mainly due to the intense training sessions with Niall and the beating he had received from Alvis.
Magnus handed back Atticus's space ring before whisking them both into the Aegis airship. Days had passed since Avalon had emerged from the chasm, and the Aegis airship had long since returned to its station.
As they entered through the lowered hatch, Atticus was greeted by the sight of all the crew members, who had come out to welcome him back, with Yotad and Dario at the forefront.
However, the Atticus they had expected and the one they saw were two completely different individuals.
It wasn't even about his current disheveled appearance.
Every single one of them, even the battle-hardened captain, felt an intense pressure. It was as though a dangerous beast had suddenly entered the airship.
Many instinctively reached for their weapons, while others began circulating their mana in preparation for an attack.
Atticus immediately sensed the tension in the atmosphere. 'I forgot,' he realized.
Having been accustomed to the dangerous environment of the chasm, which required him to be on high alert at all times, he had forgotten to tone down his aura in the presence of his allies.
'Grandfather probably noticed, but it didn't affect him like it did the others,' Atticus thought.
As he consciously restricted his aura and presence, the tension in the air eased, and the crew members began to relax.
Dario, Yotad, Amara, and the captain each narrowed their eyes, assessing the changes in Atticus.
"Young master?" Dario was the first to speak, his voice filled with uncertainty.
Atticus smiled. "Yeah, it's me… The past two months have been very eventful."
"No kidding. You're in the master- rank!" Amara chimed in, her expression one of disbelief. She truly didn't know how to react. A 16-year-old boy in the master- rank was nothing short of extraordinary.
"As expected of my master," Yotad added, a look of pride on his face. The others couldn't help but shoot him an intense stare, as if wondering why he was acting like this was normal.
None of them even paid any attention to the grandmaster beside Atticus. Although they could sense that Niall was in the grandmaster rank and clearly wasn't human, they completely ignored that detail, too focused on the incredible changes in Atticus.