Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Soulkins, after hatching, were usually simple. Their personalities were soft, still forming, limited mostly to fondness for their bonded.

The connection was new, undeveloped. It took time. Years of nurturing. Of training. Of building that bond.

But this Soulkin… had personality the instant it hatched. Will. Pride…

And even more than that, it had attempted a technique that should have been far beyond its reach.

Fusion.

The merging of kin and master. Soul and soul. A technique that demanded time, effort, and relentless devotion.

And yet, mere seconds after hatching, it was doing what most never achieved in decades.

Elderish’s eyes sharpened as the white light began to dim, revealing Atticus, now standing, with a calmness that shouldn’t exist.

His body had changed.

His entire body was pure white. It looked as though he were burning, his skin, his hair, all of it danced like living flame.

His hair flowed behind him like fire in the wind, and his skin shimmered, radiant. His eyes were pure white, clear, unreadable.

He looked like a white flame.

‘It was successful.’ Elderish’s gaze trembled.

It was an impossible thing. Elderish had believed, concluded, that the Soulkin hadn’t known what it was doing and that the fusion would fail. But not only had it succeeded, the result surpassed even his darkest expectations.

The sheer pressure Atticus now radiated sent his heart racing faster than it ever had before.

Atticus saw a world of white.

It was surreal. As though every color in the world had vanished, replaced by endless, blinding whiteness. Yet, somehow, he could still see everything. Still feel everything.

‘My wounds… they’re gone.’

The injuries Elderish had inflicted, wounds his body had struggled to recover from, were completely gone.

‘Was this you?’

He could feel it, someone. Something. A presence that wasn’t Ozeroth inside him.

‘Kuu!’

Atticus felt two emotions hit him at once: joy at being fused with him, and overwhelming killing intent aimed at Elderish.

His thoughts shifted, drawn toward the sheer power surging through his body.

‘I-It’s incredible…’

It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.

Even his bond with Ozeroth didn’t compare. That bond had amplified his power, yes. When fused, they became one, a better version of both.

But Ozeroth was of the spirit world, and the power he provided leaned heavily toward spiritual energy. Atticus’ control would grow, his capacity would soar, but it was focused on just that, spiritual energy.

The Soulkin was different.

It was from Eldoralth, a being born of him. It didn’t just carry one aspect of him. It carried everything.

The fusion hadn’t just enhanced his spiritual energy.

It had amplified everything.

His elements. His mana. His Will.

And the result… was this.

“Fall.”

A weight, so intense it felt like the sky had collapsed, slammed down onto Elderish.

He grunted before plummeting from the sky like a meteor.

Boom!

The haze cleared after a moment, revealing a stunned Elderish, struggling to even stand.

‘W-What is this!?’

A formless wave pressed down against his entire body with a force beyond comprehension. His Will surged, the different powers of the races swirling around him in a chaotic storm as he forced himself upright.

But it was like he was trying to lift a truck with trembling arms. His knees quaked, the ground beneath him cracking from the strain.

His gaze snapped forward and trembled.

Atticus was looking at him. Calm.

He hadn’t taken a step. Hadn’t even unleashed his aura. And yet, his pressure alone was enough to crush him.

Elderish’s eyes narrowed as Atticus suddenly exhaled, then slowly, deliberately, sheathed his katana.

“You know…” Atticus said, his voice like ice brushing against skin. “I don’t like speaking during battle.”

His eyes locked onto Elderish.

“But I want you to know, your decision to go after my family would have been the worst mistake you’ve ever made in your entire life.”

His tone turned low.

“If you had killed them… I would have razed Eldoralth, annihilated every last one of its inhabitants. Then destroyed this world just to make sure you suffered.”

“Then, I would have killed you.”

Elderish’s eyes widened, a chill racing through his body.

‘He’s not lying.’

Words could lie. But gazes? Never.

Elderish didn’t know Atticus well. But from what he’d seen… he’d formed a terrifying truth.

Atticus loved his family. He wasn’t evil. But he wasn’t good either.

He could be both, at any given moment.

And Elderish knew, without a doubt, that nothing would push him further into darkness than the death of his family.

Then Atticus spoke again, eyes glowing brighter.

“Your actions doomed Eldoralth in the past.”

He raised his leg.

“And now, I want you to die knowing that your idiocy hasn’t changed.”

Elderish clenched his fists as Atticus stepped forward.

The elements responded.

The mana responded.

The spiritual energy responded.

His Will responded.

Atticus’s aura detonated, flooding the entire domain in sheer, suffocating pressure.

BAM!

Elderish gritted his teeth as his knees slammed against the ground.

He looked up only to realize Atticus was gone.

CRACK!

An overwhelming force struck under his chin, tearing him into the sky.

But he had barely registered the pain before a hand whipped around and snatched his face in a brutal grip. Bone cracked instantly beneath the pressure.

His body turned light, weightless, as he was spun before getting hurled across the air like a ragdoll.

BOOM!

He slammed into the Aegis Shield with catastrophic force, the impact sending shockwaves across the domain.

But the shockwaves had barely settled before a leg connected with the side of Elderish’s head—

BAM!

His body tore through the skies, sent flying across multiple domains in a blur of white trails and splintered clouds.

‘S-Such power…’

Even as he was beaten, unable to mount any resistance, a satisfied smile formed on Elderish’s face.

Atticus’ earlier words had shaken him, but… Elderish couldn’t help but feel glad. Glad he hadn’t killed Atticus’ family.

He would’ve doomed Eldoralth.

But now…

Atticus had gained the power to kill him.

Which meant… ‘There is a future for this world.’

Even as Elderish spun mid-air, he unleashed a storm of aura and killing intent in every direction, targeting Atticus with everything he had left.

But the smile never left his face.

Shnnk.

The crisp sound of a katana slicing from its sheath cut through the air.

Elderish’s gaze darted wildly.

But no matter where he looked, Atticus wasn’t there.

Shrnk.

The sound echoed again. Elderish’s eyes snapped toward it and found Atticus, hovering calmly in the sky, katana sheathed and resting at his side.

Elderish narrowed his eyes, and just as he was about to move, he felt it.

Pain.

Followed by something… off. A strange disconnect.

His mind was still clear. His eyes still open. He could think. But… he could feel it.

He was dead.

He looked toward Atticus one last time… and smiled.

He gave a slow nod, of respect, of acceptance, of hope.

Then, his body split, sliced cleanly into countless pieces.

And with a quiet shimmer, they disintegrated into the air.