"This should be useful to you."
Atticus stared silently at the core Elderish had handed him, his gaze narrowing. His mind raced. The core radiated an overwhelming amount of power, so intense that Atticus found it difficult to comprehend.
"Wha—"
"It's one of the 19 cores," Elderish cut him off before he could ask.
Atticus froze, his eyes widening in shock. He was beyond stunned. Just moments ago, he'd been plotting how to acquire each of the 19 cores. If his assumption was correct and the apexes held the cores, then his mission was bound to be grueling, filled with relentless challenges.
And now, here he was, being handed one of the cores, just like that? Atticus wasn't buying it.
"What do you want?"
'Good. You're learning,' Ozeroth praised, his earlier rambling about the future suddenly stopping.
'Good to see you back in reality,' Atticus remarked.
But Ozeroth clicked his tongue.
'Tch. Always be in doubt, bond. Never trust anyone.'
'Even a centuries-old man who just felt like bonding with me?'
'Of course I'm an exception, you fool! The great Ozeroth wouldn't lower himself to do something as belittling as sneaking!'
'If you say so.'
'You!' Ozeroth growled, though he could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from Atticus's words. And before long, the spirit was off on another rant.
"This time, I demand nothing," Elderish said, cutting through the noise in Atticus's mind. "It is a gesture of goodwill and a hope that, when the time comes, you will choose to be Eldoralth's guardian."
Atticus didn't respond. Elderish wasn't asking for a promise or an oath, but the entire situation felt more like a bribe than an act of pure kindness.
After a long pause, Atticus nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll accept this, but I still won't be sacrificing my life."
Just because he didn't plan to lay down his life didn't mean he would reject a free gift.
Elderish smiled, nodding in approval. "Here," he said, tossing something else toward Atticus.
Catching it, Atticus looked down to see a ring.
"This is the artifact I mentioned. When you're close to one of the 19 cores, it will tighten around your finger. Try it on."
Atticus hesitated, Ozeroth's words about trust resonating in his head. He studied the artifact carefully.
Artifacts were mysterious in Eldoralth. Their effects were never fully defined unless the creator explicitly intended them to be. Anything could happen. They ranged from simple trinkets to powerful, world-shaping tools.
Upon seeing any artifact, especially in battle, caution was paramount. It could be anything, a treasure of immense power or something deceptively dangerous.
'This could be a trap,' Atticus thought. What if the ring bound him to something he didn't want, or worse, controlled him in some way?
'What do you think?' he asked Ozeroth.
Ozeroth paused, uncharacteristically serious, before answering.
'I think it's possible. As the last of his kind, he might be willing to do whatever it takes to help his world and restore it to the way it was. Be careful.'
Atticus nodded, slipping the ring into his robe.
Elderish noticed this but chose to remain silent, saying nothing.
"Can you tell me how to awaken my mark?" Atticus asked after a moment. He was still overwhelmed by the revelations about the Primordial Stars, but he had always been someone who hated being caught off guard.
His path was one to the peak, and having a fragment of one of the strongest beings in the universe, with the potential to reach that peak, was practically a gift from the heavens.
He needed to be prepared for any eventuality.
"I'm sorry, Atticus, but even I don't know that," Elderish replied. "I know your history, not your ways."
Atticus sighed. 'I'll leave it for later, then.'
Coming to a decision, he nodded at Elderish before asking if he could train within the Eldest Veil for a while. After receiving permission, he moved to one side and lowered himself to the floor.
Atticus inhaled deeply before exhaling, centering himself.
'The grandmaster rank…'
He clenched his hands in front of him, and it was as though the air in a large radius around him trembled in response to his power.
Atticus felt… different. It was as though his entire being had been transformed, inch by inch. He felt simultaneously light and incredibly heavy.
It was an unusual sensation.
He could feel it, during the battle, his body had been filled with a surge of energy. However, because of Elderish's restrictions, it had only been mana coursing through him.
But now, the battle was over, and Elderish was no longer holding him back. His spiritual energy swirled together with his mana, and the feeling was nothing short of extraordinary.
It felt as though the planet itself was breathing through him. He felt natural, as though he was no different from the air around him.
His perception had shifted. Colors appeared sharper, the subtlest sounds became more vibrant, and even the faintest movements left echoes in his mind. These echoes created a map of everything within his radius.
'Is this how paragons feel?' Atticus wondered. It was extraordinary. He had already experienced the power of a grandmaster+, and it wasn't even close to this.
'In a sense, yes,' Ozeroth's voice cut into his thoughts.
Atticus's eyes sharpened. 'What do you mean?'
'From what I can tell, you currently have their strength, but you haven't truly reached their level,' Ozeroth explained. 'Your connection with the elements is still lacking, and your mastery over your bloodline is far behind theirs. You might be able to clash with a paragon, but you'd only survive a few exchanges. Mastery is where you'll fall short.'
Ozeroth's words sent Atticus's mind spinning. He understood the spirit's point. Compared to true paragons, his control over the elements and mastery of his arts were still rudimentary.
Atticus's gaze darkened. 'How will I handle him then?'
The paragon waiting outside wasn't something he could avoid. He had to think of a way to deal with the situation.
'Relax, bond. That might be able to help,' Ozeroth said, his tone surprisingly calm.
Atticus's gaze darted to the core floating in front of him.
'You're right. Let's not jump to conclusions. I'll see how much I've improved first.'
Deciding to stop his general observations, Atticus focused inward. He needed to assess his progress more thoroughly. Thinking the command in his mind, he summoned the status screen.
A glowing panel materialized in front of him, displaying his stats.