"No."

Atticus’ answer had been immediate.

Zenon was taken aback, blinking once. He clearly hadn’t expected that answer.

"Are you sure? We can still discuss—"

"I’m sure."

Without waiting, Atticus turned and left the hall, Anorah and the others walking close behind. As the seconds passed, a small frown slowly appeared on Zenon’s face.

Then, suddenly, a booming force echoed in his mind.

"ZENON."

Zenon’s eyes widened. He dropped to both knees instantly, his demeanor shifting into one of utter reverence and respect.

"L-Lord Solvath..." he said hurriedly. "What can this lowly one do for you...?"

"TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, VESSEL. YOU MUST SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND ACQUIRE THE FRAGMENTS. FORCEFULLY OR OTHERWISE. TRUE LIBERATION CANNOT BE ACHIEVED IF PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED THE LUXURY OF CHOICE."

"Lord Solvath..." Zenon slowly clenched both fists, a complicated look crossing his face.

"Forgive this lowly one’s words, but... please allow me to handle this personally. My daughter... I know her. She’s stubborn. Just like her mother. If anyone can reach her, it’s me. And Atticus..." His eyes narrowed slightly. "That boy seems to regard her highly. Once she changes her mind, he’ll follow."

A deafening silence followed. With every passing second, Zenon’s shoulders grew tenser. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"VESSEL."

"Y-yes, Lord Solvath."

"I SHALL ALLOW THIS. BUT REMEMBER THIS WELL. I SHOWED YOU THE LOCATION OF THAT BOY PRECISELY BECAUSE HE IS AN ANOMALY. EVEN FROM SO CLOSE, SOMETHING POWERFUL STILL INTERFERES WITH MY ACCESS TO THE FRAGMENTS WITHIN HIM. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE HIM. FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR BRETHREN... AND YOUR DEAD WIFE."

"Yes... Lord Solvath."

The overwhelming presence vanished as quickly as it had come.

Zenon remained on his knees for several moments, his gaze fixed on the door Atticus and the others had left through.

A twisted expression slowly appeared on his face.

"For Lina..." he muttered under his breath, both fists curling tightly.

...

As they stepped out, Atticus explained everything they had witnessed to the others. He was met with the expected response: shock.

Azeron and Thomas, those with significant experience regarding the fragments, wore especially serious expressions.

"Are you actually considering it?" Azeron finally asked after several moments of silence.

Atticus shook his head.

He didn’t bother explaining himself. Though he could easily form a barrier to prevent others from listening in, he simply didn’t feel the need to justify his decision. Whether that was because of constantly being around the Pride Queen or not, he had no idea.

The Evoli elder nodded faintly, visibly pleased.

"Good," he said. "We came here for the convergence, not to kneel halfway through it. Ultimate domination, remember? Try not to forget that part."

Though he spoke with his usual confidence and grandiosity, not many seemed reassured. Most remained silent, especially Anastasia, who kept throwing Atticus small knowing glances.

Atticus knew his mother well. Though she wouldn’t ask directly, it was probably her way of wondering why he wouldn’t take the offer of freedom.

Feeling Anorah’s arms slowly tighten around him, Atticus nodded toward the others.

"Let’s go."

The air here irked him. Something about being this close to so much of Solvath made his skin crawl.

Eventually, they each retreated to their rooms.

Atticus stopped before his door, facing Anorah, who wore a troubled expression.

"You believe him?"

Anorah’s face dimmed slightly.

"...I feel like I’m supposed to."

"Because he’s your father."

Anorah silently nodded.

Atticus understood how she felt perfectly. Though if he were placed in the same situation, he would react entirely differently.

Zenon had abandoned her to resurrect his wife. Many might argue it was justified, but to Atticus, nothing could justify abandoning a loved one.

He could be considered stubborn in that regard.

It was why he was so hell-bent on traveling with everyone dear to him despite their obvious dead weight.

A loved one who had abandoned him in childhood, especially one he barely knew, would simply become irrelevant to him.

But Anorah was different.

She was the sort of person who valued blood above all else. Family-oriented to an almost irrational degree, perhaps even more than Atticus himself. Despite everything Zenon had done, there was clearly still lingering attachment.

"...Alright." Atticus nodded faintly before holding her hand. "But I still don’t trust him."

Atticus hid nothing. Especially with his new will, he couldn’t even if he wanted to.

Anorah looked at him before smiling softly.

"I know." She shook her head lightly. "You’ve always been terrible at hiding what you feel, Atti."

"I unfortunately have." Atticus sighed. "I just... want you to be careful. I know he’s your father, but people become stupid around things they desperately want. Just stay cautious. That’s all I’m asking."

Anorah’s smile softened further as she gently cupped his cheeks.

"I’ll be careful," she promised quietly.

A moment later, Atticus stepped into the room.

Ozeroth, seated beside Whisker, looked even darker than when Atticus had left.

"What took you so damn long, bond? He’s getting worse."

Atticus didn’t bother speaking. Instead, he projected the memories directly into Ozeroth’s mind.

A moment later, Ozeroth snorted.

"A utopia?" He barked out a laugh. "The hell does he think this is, some children’s fairy tale? Don’t tell me you actually swallowed that bullshit."

Atticus gave him a flat look.

Ozeroth grinned, clearly satisfied.

"Good. For a second there, I thought your woman had finally managed to rot your brain."

"Nothing can blind me."

"Tch." Ozeroth raised a brow. "And you still call me prideful."

"You are."

"Oh please." He scoffed. "You’re just as arrogant as I am. You’re just annoyingly better at pretending otherwise."

Atticus shrugged.

Though part of him wanted to smile, the sight of Whisker’s pale, almost corpse-like face killed the mood immediately. He had already refused to let the others see him just so he could focus entirely on stabilizing him.

"I’m guessing you didn’t make any progress?"

"Nothing." Ozeroth clicked his tongue in frustration. "I pushed Omnicognition as far as it would go. The best I could see was the clash between the two wills. Couldn’t interfere. Couldn’t touch it. Couldn’t do shit."

Then, after a brief silence, his expression darkened further.

"He’s losing, bond. At this rate... he won’t last."