Chapter 1141: Dark |
Atticus smiled faintly. "You two should be used to this by now."
Both Anastasia and Aurora frowned instantly.
"If you didn't just wake up from a long coma, I'd have smacked your head, young man," Anastasia snapped. Aurora nodded beside her, wearing a stern look.
Atticus cleared his throat. "Sorry, Mom."
It was a thoughtless thing to say. Telling them to get used to him getting hurt was like saying they shouldn't feel anything when it happened.
"Stop getting yourself hurt," Anastasia replied. "That'll be enough of an apology for me."
Atticus smiled wryly, unable to say anything back. Was that even possible?
Then, all of a sudden…
"Grandmama!" the Soulkin chirped.
Atticus chuckled. "I'm glad to see you two are getting along."
"It's hard not to love this cutie," Anastasia replied, rubbing its belly. Its fluffy tail wagged wildly in delight.
Aurora moved closer. Her eyes were wide with childlike wonder as she stared at the Soulkin. It was obvious she wanted nothing more than to pet him.
The Soulkin seemed to notice her gaze and turned to her next, then leapt into her arms as well. Aurora caught it with a giggle, brushing her fingers through its snowy fur.
"You're so cute," she whispered with a bright smile.
The sight widened the smile on Atticus's face… but then reality slammed back into him. His gaze shifted toward Anastasia.
"What's going on?" he asked. "How long was I out?"
Anastasia met his eyes dead-on. "One and a half months."
Atticus's eyes flew wide. "That's insane." His voice sharpened. "What's happening? Where are the others?"
He tried to get up, but…
"Sit your ass down." Anastasia's tone was firm.
Atticus froze, mildly stunned.
"You just woke up and you're clearly still weak," she continued. "Take a breath. There's nothing you can do right now anyway." She paused, softening slightly. "Everyone's alive, at least."
Atticus was relieved to hear that, but one thing still nagged him.
"…Ass?" he echoed.
He never imagined his mother of all people would use that word.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "What? You're old enough to hear it, Mr. 'I Must Save the Whole World.'"
"Pfft—" Aurora burst into laughter.
Atticus shot her a scowl but didn't say anything. He cleared his throat.
Anastasia wasn't entirely wrong, but saving the world was never the goal. The only reason he would ever go that far was because it was the best way to protect them.
He said nothing else and simply nodded at his mother.
Anastasia leaned in and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Just take it easy, At. Everything's fine… for now. You need to recover. I'll get you some food"
She backed up, picking up the tray that had fallen earlier and cleaning up the space before leaving the room. Aurora gently picked up the Soulkin and settled into a seat close to Atticus.
"How are you feeling?"
Atticus turned to her. She looked exhausted, like she'd cried herself empty.
"I'm fine," he replied quietly. He didn't joke. Not now. Aurora didn't look like she was in the mood.
"…How are you?"
She paused, then smiled. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded slowly.
An unusual silence settled between them before Atticus broke it.
"Where are we?"
Aurora glanced at him. "The Evolari Domain."
Atticus's eyes narrowed.
'What the hell happened in a month and a half?'
'A lot,' Ozeroth's voice echoed in his head.
'Mind filling me in?'
'Where's the fun in that? I'll let you find out on your own.'
Atticus didn't hesitate, he immediately tried to read through Ozeroth's memories. But the prideful spirit blocked him at once.
'Hehe. You think you can get one over the great Ozeroth?'
'…Really?'
Just as Atticus turned to ask Aurora for details, the door opened and Anastasia returned with another tray, this one loaded with fresh food and water. She set it down beside him.
"Are you okay to eat by yourself, or should I help you?" she asked.
"I can eat," Atticus answered quickly before his mother started feeding him.
Anastasia nodded once, then sat down in front of him, watching.
"…You're going to watch me eat?" he asked.
She nodded again. There was no room for argument.
Atticus sighed and picked up the spoon. He began eating slowly. Every movement felt heavy, sluggish. His limbs were still weak.
'That fight really drained me.' Anastasia was right. He couldn't even think about fighting right now.
'I have to regain my strength… and find out what happened.'
Atticus focused on his food, finishing it quietly.
By the time he was done, Anastasia and Aurora quietly stood and left the room, leaving him to rest.
But even though Atticus remained in bed, his mind never stopped working.
He turned inward, assessing his body. Thankfully, there was no lasting damage.
Just extreme exhaustion and stress. His system was drained, not broken. With enough rest, he was confident he'd recover.
Throughout the day, the others came to visit him, Zoey, Ember, Caldor, and Kael.
Each of them looked… different.
They were clad in the military midnight blue which were worn, stained with dirt and dried blood.
Atticus had immediately asked what happened, but unfortunately for him, Anastasia had gotten to them first. And none of them said a word.
Apparently, she had been very clear: his only job was to recover. Once that was done, he could ask all the questions he wanted.
It was infuriating.
Atticus hated being kept in the dark, but seeing them all alive, even if they looked battered, settled the restlessness inside him.
Still… he couldn't help but notice that Avalon, Magnus, or any of the other Paragons hadn't come to visit.
When he asked the others, they only said the same thing: they were too busy to leave their posts.
That didn't sit right with him either, but he let it go, for now.
After that, Atticus made the decision to focus entirely on recovery. Sitting alone in the dark wasn't ideal, but wallowing in frustration wouldn't help either.
The day passed, and morning came again.
Atticus stood before the mirror in his room, staring at his reflection. He wasn't the only one.
His Soulkin stood proudly on all fours right beside him, gazing at its own reflection with chin held high, like royalty admiring itself.
Atticus chuckled softly, baffled by just how much of Ozeroth's smugness had made it into the little creature.
He wasn't fully recovered yet, but he was well enough to convince Anastasia to finally tell him the truth. She had agreed, saying she'd return soon.
But hours passed and there was still no sign of her.
Now, Atticus had had enough.
It was time to step out of this room and find out what the hell had happened while he was unconscious.