Atticus slowly lowered his hand before releasing Amara from the vice grip on her neck.
Amara had a look on her face that Atticus hadn't expected to see. Ever since he had met her, she had been vibrant and overly confident. However, now, she looked lost.
"Are you okay?" Atticus asked.
Amara snapped out of her deep thoughts, forcing a smile and nodding weakly.
"That's a lie. You seem down. Are you sad because you lost?" Atticus's straightforwardness was surprising on many levels.
Those who knew him well would know that he normally wouldn't care about something like this. She had initiated the spar, and he fought and won—why should he care if she was feeling bad?
It wasn't that Atticus had taken a particular liking to her; he just treated people based on how they treated him. She had been nothing but kind, so he saw no reason not to help out, considering the fact that she had been helpful to him.
Amara was shocked by Atticus's question and immediately forced a smile. "No, young master. There's no reason for me to be sad. The better person won."
"No, not better, just stronger. I won because I'm stronger than you. It's as simple as that."
Atticus's words might have sounded boastful, but they were simply factual. Amara immediately grasped that. He hadn't won because he was a better person, but because he was stronger.
"If you want to win, all you have to do is become stronger."
Amara clenched her fist. She couldn't hold it in any longer.
"That's easy for you to say," she retorted.
"What do you mean?" Atticus asked.
"You have endless talent! You can grow stronger just by breathing! But I've... I've already reached my limit. 'Just grow stronger than you'? What a joke..."
At this point, the entire crowd was listening to their conversation. They could all feel what Amara was feeling.
"So?" Atticus responded, his tone calm.
"What?" Amara was baffled by Atticus's nonchalance.
"I just told you what you have to do to defeat me. I never said it was possible."
Amara was confused, unable to understand his logic.
"Look, I'm going to keep growing stronger and stronger, no matter what. Even if my body hits its limit, I will never let it stand in my way. I will break it and rebuild it again. I will never stop until I stand at the peak. That's the difference between you and me, Amara. I have unmatched talent?
So what? There are beings in this world who could end my life with a flick of their wrist. So what if you've hit your limit? There are people in the human domain who can't even get past the novice rank—does that mean they should wallow in their tears and never live their lives?
"You're the architect of your own life. You choose whether to give up or keep pushing. You've hit your limits? Own it. Think of a way forward instead of making yourself feel bad. Ultimately, it's your choice."
Atticus then focused on the water element and healed Amara's wounds. Afterward, he turned and walked out of the room, followed closely by Yotad and Dario.
Deep inside the airship, a small smile appeared on Magnus's face, who had been observing the battle and the conversation from his room.
'His head is in the right place,' Magnus thought.
Magnus wasn't the only one who was surprised. The captain of the crew raised his only visible eyebrow, his eye fixed on Atticus as he walked out.
'How can a 16-year-old have such insights?' the captain wondered.
A normal teenager, especially a 16-year-old, would typically just be starting their life. They would be thinking about their dreams, how to make their families proud, how to be better than their peers.
However, it was clear that Atticus wasn't thinking about any of that. He seemed like someone who had not only gone through a lot but was also currently battling a lot.
The captain felt his blood pump hard. He couldn't wait for the day Atticus would take the seat as head of the Ravenstein family. He saw no one who could stand in his way—a 16-year-old who was already as powerful as a grandmaster. The human domain would go into a frenzy.
…
"Young master, that was… inspirational," Dario finally spoke after a few seconds of trailing behind Atticus.
"I simply stated the facts," Atticus responded succinctly. Yotad remained silent, having nothing to add. The Ravenblade were taught from childhood to live for their master. Getting stronger was just a means to an end; their goal was always their master's protection.
"Yes, of course," Dario smiled wryly and didn't say anything further, continuing the walk in silence, until Atticus suddenly stopped.
"Is something wrong, young master?" Dario asked.
Atticus had a small frown on his face. 'Where am I going?' he thought. He had gone to the training room to train, but he left after only spending a few minutes there. Atticus sighed. 'It just seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.'
There was only one grandmaster-level training room in that location, and it didn't seem right to stay there after giving that speech. Essentially, walking away had seemed like the right move at the time. But now, he had nowhere else to go.
'I can't go back—that would be crazy. I guess I won't train for now,' he decided.
Having made up his mind, Atticus turned and started moving toward another part of the airship, leaving Dario and Yotad to wonder what was going on.
After a few moments, he reached the control room and immediately entered. It wasn't as packed as usual, with only a few operators manning different terminals at the front.
None of them paid much attention to his entry, leaving Atticus to enjoy the peaceful scenery as the airship moved at high speed. Since he wasn't going to train, he figured he might as well do this instead of going back to sleep.
The journey back to the capital, Ravenspire, took just over two hours. During that time, many crew members entered the control room and bowed upon seeing Atticus. His speech was still fresh in their minds, and it made them all ponder deeply.
Soon enough, the beautiful and enchanting scene of the elemental sanctums filled his vision. Atticus was filled with nostalgia; two months had passed, but it felt like only yesterday.
"Head toward the Fire Sanctum," Atticus commanded, and the operators instinctively obeyed, steering the ship toward the Fire Sanctum.
It was normally unheard of for any of the operators to take orders from anyone apart from Magnus and the captain, but the legend that was Atticus was beginning to etch itself into their minds.
Atticus left the control room and headed toward the hatch. However, halfway there, Amara suddenly appeared in his path.
"Y-young master," she stammered.
Atticus watched with a slightly baffled expression as this woman, well into her 30s, fidgeted nervously with her fingers.
"Speak your mind; I'm not going to do anything to you," Atticus said calmly.
Amara took a deep breath before looking Atticus straight in the eye.
"I'm sorry!" She bowed. "You were right about everything, and I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was just…"
"What did you decide?" Atticus interrupted.
"Huh?" Amara looked up, confused.
"I don't need to hear your life story, Amara, but I want to know what you decided," Atticus clarified.
Amara's right eye twitched. She felt a wave of embarrassment, but Atticus's casual gaze gave her no respite.
Both her hands clenched as she recalled her thoughts.
"I will never give up," she declared firmly.
Atticus smiled. "Good, I look forward to that. I'll see you soon, I guess."
"Yes!" Amara replied with determination.
With that, Atticus continued his walk toward the hatch. After a minute, his feet touched the scorching ground of the Fire Sanctum.
He didn't waste time and moved toward the grand gate. However, a figure suddenly combusted a few meters away from him, accompanied by the loud sound of a walking stick striking the ground.
Atticus smiled slightly as he fixed his eyes on Dekai, who stood before him. But Dekai wasn't smiling.
Atticus's smile widened. 'This old man,' he thought, noticing how the temperature of the fire molecules around him was rapidly changing.
However, Atticus's gaze flashed red, and then everything returned to normal.
Dekai's eyes widened in absolute shock. "Master rank and such strong will…" he muttered absentmindedly. 'Oh, now I'm scared.'
Atticus's talent had always been impressive, but now it was terrifying. No one should be this talented.
"You even came out to meet me. Sounds like you're happy to see me," Atticus teased.
Dekai snapped out of his thoughts and snorted, hitting his stick on the ground and turning away.
"Get your facts straight, boy. Only the Sanctum Master can open the Sanctum gates. That's all there is to it. Now quit wasting time and let's go!"
Atticus chuckled but said nothing. He could see the corners of Dekai's lips were raised. The old man was happy.
Atticus followed Dekai through the grand gates of the Fire Sanctum, a slight smile on his face.