'It all makes sense now,' Avalon thought. He had heard about everything that happened in Sector 8.
Atticus hadn't cared about the devastation or its impact on the people; his only goal had been to kill his opponent.
This was the first time Avalon would speak to Atticus about something like this. He was only now beginning to understand where Atticus's head was at.
Avalon smiled. This wasn't the mindset most parents would want their children to have, but the Ravensteins were different.
They valued honor and strength, but above all, they cared about family. Avalon was the same.
"That's fine, Atticus. I don't expect you to be a hero, but don't be a villain," Avalon said, and Atticus could hear the underlying meaning in his words. He nodded in understanding.
Avalon ruffled his hair with a smile one more time.
"Atticus, you must always be careful. I know you don't plan on being a hero, but now you represent all of humanity in everything you do. Everyone is watching. One wrong move, and humanity could lose the fragile ground we've gained. You might be our miracle, but you're also their target."
There was a pause as the two of them locked eyes, the weight of Avalon's words settling in Atticus's mind. Then, Avalon's smirk returned, lightening the mood.
"Enough of that," he said. "Tell me, how did it feel? Battling a paragon and forcing him to run? Did you see the look on his face when he realized he couldn't beat you?"
Atticus burst into laughter. He had been too angry when Blackgate escaped to fully enjoy the moment, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Priceless. I don't think he expected me to last more than a second," Atticus said, grinning.
Avalon chuckled, looking at Atticus with pride in his eyes.
The room fell silent for a moment. Then, in a softer tone, Avalon said, "I'm proud of you, son. No matter what anyone says, you've already proven what it means to be a Ravenstein."
Atticus smiled warmly. "Thanks, Dad."
With that, Avalon ruffled his hair one last time before leaving the room.
As soon as he left, Atticus continued resting, and time seemed to pass quickly.
The next day arrived, and Atticus stood in front of the training room door, fully dressed and completely healed.
Anastasia had visited the night before with another truckload of food, and just like before, Atticus devoured every single bit of it, much to Ozeroth's irritation as he glared at him from his mind.
Now, standing in front of the door, Atticus radiated a kind of power that was hard to describe, power that made even the atmosphere tremble.
Taking a deep breath, Atticus stepped forward and walked through the door.
Magnus's personal advanced training room was located in a remote part of the estate. It was the first time Atticus had been to this area. The place was completely deserted, even by other Ravensteins.
But as soon as Atticus left that secluded area and entered the main part of the estate, he instantly saw a procession of white-haired individuals roaming around.
As soon as Atticus got within range, it was as though someone had hit pause on the world. The murmuring stopped. The people froze.
And in unison, all eyes turned towards Atticus.
Atticus raised his eyebrows. 'What's happening?'
They had all just frozen and were staring at him in silence.
'It's the spiritual energy, you dumbass,' Ozeroth said in his mind.
Atticus's mouth twitched. 'You're centuries old. Are you even allowed to use such foul language?'
'I am Ozeroth. I do what I want,' the voice retorted.
Atticus chuckled. 'And yet you can't face my mum.'
Ozeroth went silent, and Atticus laughed even more. Shaking his head, Atticus swept his gaze around.
'It must be my charm stats,' he thought.
They continued staring at him silently, but Atticus could sense their intent clearly. There was only one feeling, shock and awe.
Normally, given everything he had done and achieved, this reaction would have been understandable. However, what shocked them all was the intensity of it.
Each person felt as though they should bow and worship him. The Ravensteins respected Atticus greatly, but pride was deeply ingrained in them. Worshipping someone was not common among them.
Yet here they were, struggling to stop themselves from bowing to Atticus.
After realizing what had happened, Atticus started making his way to his room, acknowledging their exaggerated greetings with a nod.
'I can use this to my benefit,' he thought.
Atticus couldn't sense an ounce of bad will from anyone he passed. All he felt was awe and reverence. Even more remarkable was the fact that there were grandmasters among the crowd, and they, too, were affected.
If people naturally liked him, he could get anything he wanted!
After some time and plenty of exaggerated greetings, Atticus finally reached his room.
He sat down cross-legged on his bed and instantly began meditating. Although he had healed, he had promised Anastasia he would wait one more day just to be sure before starting his physical training.
'I won't be focusing on the physical aspects anyway. I can still train without going to the advanced training room,' he thought.
' A real man always keeps his word,' Ozeroth scoffed in his mind.
'I am keeping my word,' Atticus replied, his tone slightly defensive.
'You're meditating,' Ozeroth retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'That's like saying you're 'resting' while planning to destroy an entire army in your head.'
Atticus frowned. 'Meditation isn't breaking a promise, Ozeroth. It's calming. Big difference."'
'Calming, you say? And what will you be doing during this 'meditation'?'
"…"
'Exactly,' Ozeroth pressed. 'A real man would keep his promises.'
Atticus exhaled deeply, opening his eyes with a frown. 'I'm not lying. But I can't afford to waste time. You know this better than anyone.'
He could feel Ozeroth's judgmental stare in his mind, but he didn't care. Shutting his eyes again, Atticus focused his entire being on himself and started training.