Atticus was utterly shocked.
The heads of every tiered family in the human domain were present. The paragons of the tier one families were currently in the estate!
And yet, right at the center of this estate, in a very open space, Whisker Von Pounce, the sovereign of the beast race, a figure who had recently caused a stir at a gathering of Eldoralth's most powerful leaders, someone the leaders and powerhouses of the human domain were wary of, had appeared as though it was the most normal thing to do.
Atticus was just… speechless. He truly didn't know what to say. As he was about to speak, he paused and shook his head, turning his gaze upward to the full moon high in the sky.
At this point, he was just tired. The beast was truly a wildcard.
A grin appeared on Whisker's face. "Too shocked to speak, huh?"
"I just don't know what to say," Atticus responded after a few seconds, his gaze fixed on the bright full moon, his eyes distant. Whisker could instantly sense his troubled state.
He moved closer and sat on the fountain's edge.
"You seem troubled. Would you like to talk about it?"
Atticus's eyes briefly shifted away from the moon to look at Whisker. His playful and bubbly demeanor had vanished, replaced by something more firm. Atticus could feel it, he was actually serious.
He didn't know how to feel about that. Sometimes, venting to a stranger about your troubles helps, but Atticus wasn't the type to do that. If he couldn't tell his loved ones what was troubling him, then others had no business knowing.
Atticus turned back to the moon before responding, "I'm fine."
Whisker smiled. Even a novice rank individual could see that something was clearly wrong, let alone a paragon.
"Hmm, alright. You don't have to talk, just listen."
Whisker also turned his gaze to the moon, and a silence descended over the area. Atticus could instantly feel it, the air around them had noticeably grown heavier.
Whisker soon broke the silence.
"You know… just like you, I once stared at the moon like this, beaten, powerless, and stripped of everything I held dear. It was a long time ago. Back then, I hoped. I prayed. I didn't know who I was asking for help, but I knew I wanted all my problems to disappear. But things only ever got worse."
"Do you know why?"
Atticus shook his head, and Whisker's smile grew.
"Because from the beginning, I was doing the wrong thing. Hope… it's a pointless thing. Yet so many people cling to it, waiting for life to get better. You hope things will turn around. You hope someone will come to save you. You hope tomorrow will be different."
He turned and looked at Atticus, his smile fading. "But do you know what finally solved my problems?"
Atticus didn't respond, but he knew the answer already.
"Power. Absolute, undeniable power. That's the one thing in this world that can make everything else disappear."
"Atticus Ravenstein,"
Atticus turned and faced him, meeting his intense crimson gaze. He felt his emotions rise, his blood boiling.
Atticus knew it was Whisker's will affecting him, but he didn't mind. He held Whisker's gaze.
"Gain that power. Then you'll never have to stare at the moon, hoping for a change, ever again."
The cold night air swept over them, rustling Atticus' hair as the clouds parted in the sky, allowing the moonlight to pour down onto the fountain, bathing the area in a silvery glow.
The light illuminated Atticus's face, showing his piercing blue eyes which was wide open as he gazed at Whisker.
He chuckled. "Power, huh," he muttered.
Atticus felt foolish. He already knew this. He had come to the realization that he needed absolute power to ensure he would never be weak again countless times.
He knew this and had strived for it all along. Yet somehow, over the past two days, he had forgotten, beating himself up over feeling powerless about his mother he left back on earth.
It was so simple, yet he had unknowingly ignored it.
He had been reincarnated by some being, with all his memories and persona intact. He was now in a world where people could control elements, create dimensions, and perform feats beyond anything he could have imagined on Earth. He had literally been reincarnated!
What was his goal? Power. Not just any power, but power over every single being in existence. Power so overwhelming that he would never have to bow to anyone again.
Absolute power.
When he reached that point, anything would be possible. What would stop him from reincarnating anyone? From rewinding time? From granting immortality to his loved ones?
Nothing. No one. Because he would have absolute power over all.
Atticus burst into laughter, something he hadn't done in a long time.
It had been so simple and it took him so long to realize. He just had to attain that power.
He shook his head, chuckling, and turned to face the moon. But this time, his gaze was clearer, as if what had been clouding it had vanished.
"Thank you."
"It's fine. You're my star actor, you know; the show would suffer if you were having an existential crisis." Whisker smiled as his cheerful demeanor returned. "But still, I'm awesome, aren't I?"
Atticus snorted. "More like self-centered."
"Mean!" Whisker placed a hand on his chest as if wounded, but Atticus wasn't buying it.
"You're also a big liar. If anyone's the actor here, it's you. A human? You're literally the leader of the beast race."
Whisker awkwardly cleared his throat, as if caught in the act.
"Humans, beasts, tomato, tomato—we're one and the same," he replied shamelessly, trying to defend himself. Atticus couldn't help but chuckle at the pitiful attempt.
Whisker joined in on the laughter, and after a few moments, another silence settled over the area.
Atticus turned to Whisker, his expression serious.
"Are you an ally or an enemy?"