Disbelief.
This was the emotion most of the leaders of the races of Eldoralth felt.
Atticus had just left the meeting without a word, taking along the other paragons of humanity. It was disrespectful on so many levels; however, none of them cared about that right now.
He had signed the contract, that alone was enough to shock them into silence.
Were the reports wrong about him?
Azrakan's mind had already begun spinning. Before, at the Nexus, Atticus had achieved grandmaster+ rank strength.
While he had managed to defeat his son, Carius, Azrakan hadn't taken him seriously for simple reasons: in the grand scheme of things, he was still a minor player.
To paragons, only beings of their strength had any right to be their enemy. This had been the case for most of the other races.
Now, Atticus had just achieved that feat. Now, he was an enemy Azrakan had no plans to underestimate.
He had taken precautions and found out everything about Atticus. Stubborn to a T. Cold. Lethal. Ruthless. And most notably, his short fuse for bullshit.
But one of his most important qualities was: adaptability. Atticus was smart and could adapt to almost any situation with mind-numbing efficiency.
Azrakan had witnessed this firsthand while watching his battles, especially with Carius, where Atticus had been at a disadvantage.
It was a frightening ability to possess, especially if it was a seventeen-year-old who had it. Growing up, Azrakan shuddered at the thought of his growth.
Azrakan had considered countless moves that could be made in this situation. He had expected Atticus to do something, and he had prepared counters for anything he could possibly think of.
'But to think he would sign the contract…'
He was torn. A mana contract was absolute, and from Atticus' personality, there was just no way the boy wouldn't be up to something. This was what disturbed Azrakan the most, he didn't know what.
'I still have to get his core. He has surpassed Carius; he won't like that.'
Azrakan thought about how intense Carius would feel when he heard about Atticus' current prowess.
His thoughts suddenly sharpened.
'I wonder if Father will allow Carius have them…'
Jenera, the Evolari paragon, had been the one that wanted to stop Atticus from leaving. Her hands were still stretched forward as though trying to reach the departing Atticus.
The stars in her eyes dimmed as Atticus disappeared from the horizon. She lowered her hand before thinking:
'I must study him.'
The other paragons had different thoughts in their heads. However, for Azrakan and the majority, one thing was clear:
Atticus Ravenstein had become a major player, and he must be treated with such importance.
But considering the coldness radiating from their bodies, their intentions were obvious.
He had to be taken care of, otherwise their future was uncertain.
A click of the tongue sounded, the platform crackling as Jezeneth shot upwards, returning to her domain with a cold face. Since the meeting was over, there was no need to linger.
Soon, the other paragons started leaving until there was only the tall, cracked platform in the middle of a desolate wasteland.
…
Atticus, Magnus, and the others reached the citadel at the border, joining the other human paragons inside.
For beings of their strength, they had been able to witness the entire meeting because of their close proximity to the location. Oberon didn't need to fill them in on anything.
And as they entered the citadel, all the human paragons' eyes were on Atticus.
Just like the other races' paragons, they were also shocked.
In fact, they had come to the border expecting a fight to break out or something, this was why they were so close to the meeting.
They were each curious.
Just why had Atticus done what he had done?
It didn't make any sense considering who he was.
While the alliance contract was fair, it was basically binding himself to the alliance forever.
He would follow the orders of the alliance.
He would not perform any action that would threaten the alliance in any way.
He would not attack any members of the alliance, and even as a paragon, his actions when it came to the other races would be limited.
The alliance was run by the superior races. They were the majority, and anything they wanted became the new reality.
They could limit Atticus and control him as they wished.
The contract lasted for the duration of his lifetime, which meant that even if the current council members were gone, this would still continue.
They were grateful and bitter at the same time.
The first was the fact that they wouldn't have to go to war with all the other races of Eldoralth.
The second was the fact that their hope had been bound by the other races.
They wanted to ask, but none opened their mouths. Somehow, they knew they wouldn't get an answer.
All except the newcomer amongst them.
"Why did you sign the contract?"
Vexarius' voice sounded demanding. His eyes still maintained their same intensity as he stared at Atticus. But…
"…"
Vexarius' gaze narrowed in the next instant.
Atticus hadn't even turned to look at him.
His fist clenched, his expression contorting into a frown.
"You little—"
"There's a need to be grateful that all went well," Oberon cut in before Vex could make the worst mistake of his life.
"Apex Atticus," he turned to Atticus, smiling, "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that we appreciate the weight you've carried to ensure this outcome. Few possess the selflessness to shoulder such burdens."
The other paragons also showed appreciative looks, aside from Vexarius, who was boiling at the side.
Atticus didn't say anything, only nodding in response and returning Oberon's smile.
Seeing as all was said, Oberon used this opportunity to hold a brief meeting where he informed the other paragons about the detailed happenings in the human domain.
"The marks are a success. And currently, we're trying to implement them on all the citizens of the human domain. The number of spies and imposters we've uncovered has been too numerous to count."
The paragons nodded with satisfaction.
Now, they didn't have to be scared of sudden betrayals anymore.
Things were looking up for the best.
…
"He signed the contract?"
The man's voice sounded surprised, which was a stark contrast to the huge smile on his face.
"Yes."
As the cold voice of Jezeneth responded, an excited glint appeared in the man's eyes.