As soon as Atticus made his choice, he and Magnus left the training room, and Magnus immediately instructed the crew to head back toward the capital, where the elemental sanctums were located.
Dario, Amara, and many others wondered why they were returning, considering that Atticus had already graduated from each of the sanctums. However, when they asked Atticus, his response nearly gave them all a heart attack.
Domain!?
Many of the crew members, especially Amara, felt a sting in their hearts. They all knew that Atticus forming a domain was inevitable, but they never imagined he would attempt it so early.
None of them even considered the possibility that Atticus could fail. Everything he had set his eyes on so far had been accomplished, exceeding every expectation.
A battle against an apex of another race, which they had all expected to end in his immediate defeat, had ended in a draw. Six months to graduate from the elemental sanctums? He did it in less than a month.
The Abyssal Chasm, where they only expected his battle strength to have increased or him even dying, had brought an even greater surprise—he had crossed over into the Master ranks.
Considering everything that had happened, Amara and the crew members all wondered what the genius kid would show them next.
After his training with Magnus, Atticus headed back to his room to rest but came across someone he hadn't seen since coming out of the chasm: Niall.
Niall met Atticus's eyes without saying anything. 'I'm not bowing down to you,' he thought. He might be a slave, but he was determined not to show Atticus such respect unless forced by the contract.
It looked like an obvious attempt to maintain his dignity as a grandmaster. However, Atticus had absolutely no intention or time to play games.
Why should he care if a random fool bows to him or not? He had bigger fish to fry than worrying over something that didn't affect him in any way.
However, something popped into Atticus's head.
"Are you aware of or do you suspect that the Sovereign did something to either one of us? Anything," Atticus asked.
Niall's gaze narrowed. The Sovereign might have put him in this situation, but his loyalty to him was still as strong as ever.
Being asked a question about the Sovereign, Niall's instinctive reaction was to remain silent, but the power of the contract was absolute. Niall felt a nagging pain increasingly rack his head until it became unbearable.
"N-no. I am not aware of anything like that," Niall finally forced out.
Atticus stared at Niall for a few seconds without saying anything, then simply walked away.
'If the Sovereign did something, there's no way he would be so stupid as to make my slave aware of it,' Atticus thought as he continued walking down the hallway. He already knew this fact but still wanted to ask.
This was the first question Magnus had asked him, and Atticus hadn't thought about it before.
He felt as though if the Sovereign had done something to him, Cedric would have informed him when he entered the Katana's realm. However, what if it happened afterward? The thought nagged at him.
'Calm breaths, Atticus,' he told himself, feeling frustration creeping in. So many things were happening all at once, and he had so many worries.
Five months had already passed, and Atticus had only seven more months until the Nexus Event started. If he wasn't well-prepared, it could mean the end of his life. Aside from that, a war might begin soon, and he had no idea when!
Atticus took deep, calming breaths as he entered his room. 'One step at a time,' he reminded himself.
After resting for just over an hour, Atticus headed back to the training room. He hadn't been summoned by Magnus but wanted to train by himself. As he entered, he saw the crew members engaged in spars and battles.
"You're here, young master?" Dario called out, noticing Atticus as he entered the training room, prompting the others to turn their gazes toward him.
"The young master is here already?"
"It's been just over an hour..."
"Maybe he forgot something?"
The last man's comment drew some odd looks from the others. It seemed he didn't quite grasp who Atticus was.
There was only one reason Atticus would come to the training room: to train. But the fact that he had returned after just an hour of intense training with Magnus was astonishing.
Atticus nodded at each of them in acknowledgment as he passed by, but then Amara suddenly stepped in his way.
"Would you like to spar with me, young master?" she asked.
Her words caused a wave of surprise among the crew, and Atticus raised an eyebrow—not in contempt, but out of mild surprise. He hadn't expected anyone to want to spar with him.
"Okay," Atticus replied.
His answer caused another ripple of surprise to spread through the crew members. Even Amara was taken aback. 'He agreed so easily?' she thought. She had expected him to accept, but not so readily.
"Let's use that room," Atticus suggested, pointing to the big red door before heading toward it. Amara quickly regained her composure and followed him inside.
"I can't miss this!"
"Yes, let's go!"
Luckily, Magnus wasn't there, and everyone in the room inwardly thanked their stars. None of them were about to test the senses of a Paragon, especially when they were on the same airship.
Dario and Yotad were already inside, and soon enough, the other crew members entered, shutting the door behind them. A large circle formed with the duo facing each other in the middle.
Dario approached the room terminal and changed the settings. The pristine white room transformed into an expansive coliseum, with the onlookers seated high up, looking down at Atticus and Amara.
"Who will win?"
"It has to be Amara, right? She's in the master+ rank and the second strongest after the captain."
As they conversed, the door opened, and a man stepped into the coliseum. He quickly approached a seat and sat down, focusing on the duo below.
"What is the captain doing here?"
"How did he know about the duel so fast?"
The other crew members whispered among themselves, but none dared to speak out loud. The captain of the Aegis ship had just arrived, sitting down with an intense gaze fixed on Atticus and Amara.
With everything set, the whole space quieted down, and everyone's attention focused on the duo, anticipation building.