Chapter 1745: Memories
"I’m your father."
The words froze Atticus.
Father? What father? His mind immediately went back to the vision he had when he first awakened the Solvath fragment. The man who had found him when the fragment first attached itself to him.
Atticus stared at the man, brow furrowed.
His... father?
"You don’t remember." There was sadness in the man’s eyes before it settled into resolve. "Then I’ll help you."
The man was in front of him before he could react, a thumb pressing against his forehead.
"Wha—"
Atticus felt a jolt run through his mind, then darkness swallowed his vision.
...
Atticus dreamed of a life that was both strange and familiar.
He had been born as the only son of Attimax and Ilyshkara Ravenstein, God of Man and leader of the Rion Sanctum, and the Supreme Elemental Arbiter. He had been born with a diamond spoon. Beloved by both his parents. Given everything he could ever want.
That affection had only deepened when he began displaying talent in battle and will, defeating peers and even seniors with ease. Word of his talent spread quickly. He was known, admired, and respected by all.
Atticus was awake, yet not. He was lucid. He could think. He could feel. It was a good life. One Atticus would never have imagined had been his origin. His years on Earth, where he and his mother struggled to make ends meet, were still fresh in his mind. But this...
This was the sort of life people dreamed about.
But then a fragment landed within a courtyard and bonded with him. Everything was swallowed by darkness.
Atticus’ eyes snapped open.
He found himself strapped into a seat. His surroundings were sleek, pristine, and white. A control terminal manned by several dark-clothed individuals sat before him. Through the windshield, he caught glimpses of a blurred world rushing past.
An airship.
"You’re awake."
Atticus turned toward the voice. The katana avatar... his father... was watching him with a faint smile.
"...Yes."
"Do you remember now?"
Atticus looked at the stoic man and memories surfaced one after another.
The cold mornings when they would go on runs together. The baffling occasions where he would casually hand him a fortune despite him still being a child because he didn’t want him to lack for anything. The man who had nearly turned the territory upside down over a small cut he’d gotten during training.
His father.
"I do."
Attimax’s smile widened slightly and he nodded. Then he simply turned back to the front of the airship without another word.
Atticus found himself strangely speechless.
The entire situation still felt surreal to him, but surely a father reuniting with his son after so long should show a little more emotion than that, right? His gaze lingered on him. Then a strange realization struck him. Perhaps this was where he got it from. That cold mask he had worn for as long as he could remember.
Another thought suddenly surfaced and Atticus straightened.
"What about that woman? Kosma?"
"I sent her away."
"...You killed her?"
Attimax glanced back at him, a faint frown appearing on his face.
"No." The frown deepened slightly. "That would have been difficult."
Atticus couldn’t help but get the odd feeling that Attimax was trying very hard to sound capable.
’And I thought I was emotionally stunted.’
Still, his attention quickly shifted elsewhere. Avatar.
He had heard the katana avatar mention the term before the tattoos appeared on his arm. He immediately pressed for an explanation, only to be stunned by the answer he received.
"...Vessels for Primordial Stars?"
Attimax nodded.
"There are six in total, including you." There was a trace of approval on his face. "Each Avatar leads a sanctum within the Higher Planes."
"So... you’re also an Avatar..."
Atticus subtly examined his father’s body, searching for tattoos similar to his own, but Attimax shook his head.
"I don’t have one. Yours is... a special case." His gaze softened slightly. "Don’t worry. Everything will be explained once we get home."
Atticus furrowed his brows but chose not to press further. At least now he understood what an Avatar was.
Vessels of Primordials. Beings that embodied primordial authority within reality itself. Six of them. Including him.
Solvath.
Atticus suddenly frowned.
The five stars had betrayed Solvath, hadn’t they? If that was the case, then he was an enemy of all of them. Including the woman he had just met. Including his... father.
"Solvath is an enemy of the other Primordial Stars, right?" Atticus asked. "If that’s the case, and you’re an Avatar to one of them, how can I trust you won’t try to harm me?"
Attimax turned toward him. The air seemed to tremble. Atticus immediately recognized what it was. Killing intent. But it wasn’t directed at him, it was directed at the very thought.
"No one is touching you."
Atticus felt something stir within his chest. The words settled heavily, seeming to reverberate through his bones.
"...Then what about your Primordial Star?" he asked quietly. "Doesn’t he want Solvath dead?"
"You don’t have to worry about him."
Seeing the confusion on Atticus’ face, Attimax smiled faintly and turned his attention forward once more.
"He wants Solvath back."
Atticus froze. What? He was only beginning to process the implications when a faint light entered Attimax’s eyes.
"We’re here."
Atticus followed his gaze and went still. It was the most beautiful world he had ever seen.
A vast city stretched beneath them, its countless structures rising toward the heavens. Colossal beasts with wings spanning kilometers soared through the skies, carrying figures upon their backs. Airships and hovercrafts streaked between towering buildings while countless people moved through the city below. Nature and technology existed side by side, woven together so seamlessly that neither seemed out of place.
It was breathtaking, worthy of being a city in the Higher Planes. This was a sanctum? Atticus had expected a larger version of the elemental sanctums from Eldoralth, not this.
This felt like an entirely different civilization.
Attimax noticed the look on his face and a hint of pride entered his eyes.
"Welcome to Rion."
Entry was swift.
The airship descended through the city, passing between enormous structures and streams of airborne traffic. Moments later, it touched down atop a grand landing platform connected to the largest structure in the city.
