"How do I find these cores?"
Elderish stared at Atticus silently for a few seconds before speaking.
"That's the tricky part. I can give you an artifact that will alert you, but it can only activate when you're close to a core."
Atticus's gaze narrowed as his mind replayed the images of the small glowing orbs.
"How am I supposed to find them with just that? In case you've forgotten, they're small orbs compared to an entire planet,"
Elderish shook his head. "I understand your frustration, but this is, unfortunately, the best I can do. While I am all-powerful in this space, I have no influence beyond it. However," he added, "fortune must be on our side, as I can give you one hint."
Elderish suddenly pointed straight to Atticus's chest.
"You already have one of the 19 cores."
Atticus froze.
'What?…' He was baffled.
"I do?"
He glanced down at his body and simultaneously searched inwardly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find or sense anything unusual.
"I can't feel anything," he admitted.
"Of course you can't," Elderish explained. "The core is a part of you. It is what gives you your abilities, the strength to command elements, the capacity to endure such trials, and your heightened connection to mana. It's embedded deep within your very being."
Atticus's expression darkened as his thoughts churned. Elderish's explanation caused two unsettling thoughts to take root in his mind.
The first: 'The cores aren't just objects, they're inside people. Or worse, they might actually be people.'
The second: 'The cores are likely within the apexes of each race. If I have one core, it makes sense that the other apexes do too.'
'Smart analysis,' Ozeroth commented, his tone unusually serious. 'I also believe that's the case. Looks like the being who sent you all here really wants you to kill each other.'
Atticus couldn't agree more. He had wondered how the being intended to force them into conflict, but now it all made sense.
"Do I have to kill the person anytime I find a core?" Atticus asked in a serious tone.
Elderish stared at him in silence for a moment, as though weighing his response.
"Do you want another way?" he asked finally, his tone probing.
Atticus nodded.
"Interesting," Elderish murmured, looking at Atticus with intrigue. "Are you sure? It'll be dangerous. Life-threatening, even, for both you and the core holder."
Atticus frowned. He didn't like the sound of that, but he still nodded. It wouldn't hurt to learn about this alternative first and decide from there.
Elderish gave a small nod before suddenly placing his thumb on Atticus's forehead. His eyes glowed with an intense golden light, and in the next instant, Atticus felt a surge of information streaming into his mind.
The transfer lasted only a moment, but it was enough to leave Atticus staggering backward, his hands clutching his head as he tried to regain his bearings.
"Use it wisely," Elderish warned.
Atticus took a few seconds to organize the stream of information now imprinted in his mind. 'Hmm,' he pondered. There was a way, but just as Elderish had said, it was incredibly dangerous.
'Are you sure about this?' Ozeroth's voice cut through his thoughts, laced with concern.
Atticus smiled faintly.
'You sound worried,' he teased.
'Tch. I'm just trying to stop you from doing something stupid as usual!'
'Right, right,'
Atticus tuned out Ozeroth once more, who instantly began screaming in protest. The method of safely removing the core was something Atticus wanted to keep, just in case.
He wasn't against killing the other apexes, especially if they tried to do the same to him. However, the image of the Dragon and Aeonian apexes appeared in his mind. They were both currently not hostile, and Atticus wasn't the type to kill the innocent in pursuit of power.
He wanted to have a second option, just in case.
After mulling it over for a few moments, he suddenly turned toward Elderish and asked, "What is the Fallen Star?"
Elderish paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at Atticus. Then he smiled.
"Oh my goodness," Elderish said. "It seems I went ahead and misspoke. Me and my sharp mouth. Don't mind me, just forget I ever said anything."
Now it was Atticus's turn to stare, and he made no effort to hide his expression. His face scrunched up, utterly baffled. Elderish was clearly being sarcastic, but seeing someone who appeared to be a centuries-old man acting this way shocked him.
Elderish noticed Atticus's reaction and simply smiled, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"What do you want?" Atticus asked suddenly, his tone blunt and direct.
Elderish's smile widened. "I like smart people," he said. Then his expression shifted, turning serious. "This world, Eldoralth, stands on the brink of ruin. Forces from beyond, and from within, press against its walls, waiting for a crack to tear through. It is fragile, Atticus. Too fragile."
He paused, letting the words hang in the air.
"Promise me," he continued, his gaze locking with Atticus's, "when the time comes, you will stand as its guardian. You will protect it from the chaos that would consume it. Eldoralth needs you, more than you know."
He hesitated briefly before adding, "You are not the first I have asked this of, nor will you be the last. But perhaps… you are the one who can truly succeed."
"No."
Elderish's gaze flickered, narrowing slightly. He hadn't expected Atticus's immediate refusal. The boy didn't even take a moment to consider it.
"Why?"
"I have no plans to sacrifice my life to protect strangers," Atticus replied coldly. "And you can save the bit about this being for the greater good. I don't care."
Elderish paused, clearly surprised. This wasn't the response he had anticipated. People were inherently selfish, yes, but at the very least, he had expected Atticus to lie, perhaps to promise that he would protect Eldoralth, even if he had no intention of doing so. But Atticus's blatant refusal, his clear disdain for the very idea, caught him off guard.
"But— "
Atticus cut him off sharply, as though already knowing what Elderish was about to say.
"Eldoralth has done nothing for me. The only ones I have to thank are my family, the ones who raised and protected me. No one else."
The two locked eyes: Elderish's baffled gaze met the cold, unflinching stare of Atticus.
"Are you sure?" Elderish finally asked, his voice quieter but no less serious.
"You'll be passing up information vital to your survival in the universe."
Those words made Atticus pause, his gaze narrowing.