Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Whisker's peace was shattered by the sound of air tearing, followed by a blinding flash of purple light flooding his vision.

He winced, then a booming voice echoed overhead.

"There you are!"

Whisker's eyes twitched.

'No… please.'

That prideful voice. There was no way he could mistake it.

He forced his eyes open, and as soon as they settled on the grinning figure floating in the sky, his heart sank.

Ozeroth.

"Why do you look so glum? I have good news!" Ozeroth declared, eyes gleaming. "I will grant you the privilege of training the great Ozeroth!"

He sounded like he was doing Whisker a favor. But it was painfully clear, he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

At that moment, Whisker's peaceful vacation shattered in his mind like glass.

'Shit.'

There was only one person to blame. Teeth gritted, he muttered under his breath.

"Atticus."

…

After Ozeroth left to go 'train' with Whisker, Atticus was left to his own devices, well, almost. He sighed as Noctis rolled lazily across his crossed legs, rubbing soft fur all over him.

It was honestly adorable.

But Atticus shook his head.

'I have to train.'

He steeled his heart, eventually calming the hyper little creature and putting him to sleep on his head.

"Kuu~" Noctis murmured as Atticus gently stroked his fur. His breathing slowed, soft and peaceful.

Atticus shook his head in resignation.

'This is what it feels like to have a kid…' he thought with a quiet sigh, before pushing the thoughts aside and focusing.

His next move.

'With the Starhaven family wiped out, the Spirit King's influence on Eldoralth should be next to nothing by now.'

But with Zoey and Ozeroth still linked to him, there was still a thread, however small.

'Ozeroth should be free of that soon. But…'

His gaze shifted to Zoey.

He wasn't sure what changes she'd gone through. But he didn't like that she still used spiritual energy.

'She might be able to change it. But can she awaken her true Will?'

He didn't know.

He wanted her to cut off the spiritual energy entirely, but not everyone was capable of awakening their true Will.

Still, that was a problem for when she woke.

'Then there's me.'

Atticus used spiritual energy too, but his case was different.

For those like Ozeroth and the Spirit World, their spiritual energy was their Will. It defined their existence. But for him, it was simply an element, one he could bend, shape, and resonate with.

Still… just to be safe, he'd limit his use of it for now.

'Aside from the Spirit King… there's also Whisker's father to worry about.'

In fact, that was the real threat now. What if the man sent another enemy down?

That thought alone made Atticus' eyes to narrow..

'I need to become Eldoralth's god… as soon as possible.'

That was his goal now.

'I should be able to absorb one core a week. Fourteen left.'

He'd absorbed four cores already. With his original human core, five. That left fourteen to go.

That was where his focus shifted. And just like that, time began to pass quickly.

More than two months flew by in the blink of an eye.

A lot had happened in Eldoralth. Fortunately, no threats had emerged during that time, but the people had remained busy regardless.

Though the one who presided over it all. Atticus, rarely moved from his position, his efforts far outweighed the collective work of everyone else.

Throughout those two months, Jenera and Oberon had visited him repeatedly to confirm the direction he wanted the new society to take. It had interrupted his training sessions more than once, but it was necessary.

Ozeroth hadn't returned and was still training with Whisker. But every now and then, he sent Atticus brief reports, summarizing how things were going.

And without fail, each time, Whisker would make sure Ozeroth delivered the same message:

The battle line has been drawn.

Atticus would always laugh at that.

Aside from that, Noctis hadn't just made Atticus's head his permanent bed, he hadn't trained either. As it turned out, the little soulkin might be the luckiest creature on the planet.

Being an extension of Atticus, he grew alongside him. As Atticus improved, so did he. As Atticus comprehended new insights, so did he.

He didn't have to train.

His life was free of hardship. He slept. Woke up. Played with Anastasia inside the house, who fed him all sorts of food, then returned at night to curl up on Atticus's head.

It went without saying, Atticus had been jealous. If only he could live that relaxed life.

Sure, he could have given Noctis something to do, something the little guy would've probably done gladly, but he didn't want to ruin his fun. So he simply focused on his own matters.

Now, though, Atticus's eyes were open, his presence immense, like a towering mountain.

His awareness blanketed everything. He could see and feel things happening thousands of kilometers away.

Two months had passed, and in that time, Atticus had absorbed ten more world cores:

Lucendi, Requiem, Transmutari, Demon, Elves, Dwarves, Regenerari, Evolari, Vampyros, and Bone races.

He was now a walking weapon of mass destruction. A single wave of his hand could wipe out the billions currently living on Eldoralth.

His power had transcended what the other paragons could even begin to comprehend. Where once they were uneasy in his presence, now, they couldn't help but sweat. Many even found themselves stuttering when speaking to him.

Atticus rose and stood tall. After two long months of absorbing world cores…

It was finally time to retrieve the remaining ones from the last apexes.

Atticus cast a glance at the still sleeping Zoey before vanishing and reappearing in the living room.

He looked around, and smiled.

Noctis was curled up peacefully on Anastasia's lap as she read him a story from one of the books produced by the Enigmalkn family.

His eyes were half closed, ears twitching as he listened attentively, utterly at peace.

Across the room, Lirae, Maera, and Ae'ark were huddled around a large screen, watching a drama.

Eldoralth had been devastated… but much had already been rebuilt. And even more had resurfaced from the storage rings of those who'd wisely saved what they could before the aegis shield fell.

Atticus hadn't pictured Ae'ark as someone who'd be into dramas, but at the moment, the man was completely immersed, his entire being focused as he slowly munched on popcorn.