Chapter 352: Obsession...

Several minutes later, Atlas and Seraphiel were sitting in the empty air again, looking toward the massive celestial body as the sun slowly set beyond the horizon. Seraphiel rested her head on Atlas’s shoulder while keeping both hands wrapped around his left hand, remaining close to him as they watched the changing sky.

After a while, Atlas turned his head toward her, his expression becoming slightly serious as he prepared to discuss something important.

He spoke up calmly, "Sera, I think I should explain everything now, about the Conclave, about you and many other things that happened when I went to venture Melina’s world." His serious voice immediately caught Seraphiel’s attention, and she lifted her head from his shoulder to look at his face.

She didn’t say anything in response and simply stared into his black eyes, waiting for him to explain what he had been keeping to himself.

After a moment, Seraphiel nodded, and Atlas began explaining everything that had happened during his time away. He first told her about the incident in Frostars before moving on to his training sessions and the other events that had taken place afterward.

Finally, he explained his encounter with the man named Oriendar and revealed what he had learned about Seraphiel’s soul, including the fact that it was that of a Phoenix. The more she listened, the more she began to understand what Atlas had experienced, but the last part of his explanation left her eyes wide with shock.

"What do you mean by a Phoenix, Atlas?" Seraphiel asked, her voice carrying both confusion and disbelief as she tried to understand what he had just told her. She, an ordinary Noble child, and the thought that something like that could exist within her soul was difficult to believe.

Atlas looked at her reaction before replying, "I do not know much about it as well, but from what that man said it seems Phoenix have immense power within them. So much that they can literally destroy the Galaxy itself."

Seraphiel’s eyes widened even further, and her pupils contracted as she tried to process the meaning behind his words. Noticing her reaction, Atlas spoke again in a serious voice, "Do not worry Sera, if you have any kind of problem, any kind at all. Just remember I am there alright?"

His reassurance made her heart flutter again, but instead of smiling, she lowered her head and spoke in a hesitant voice.

"It’s...not that Atlas. If what you said is really true, then wouldn’t I be a burden to you?" Seraphiel’s hands tightened around his left hand as she struggled to explain the concern that had formed in her mind. After a brief pause, she continued, "As you said, those people known as Weimbrons will chase us or some similar organizations will kidnap me-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Atlas interrupted her again, his expression remaining firm as he replied, "What are you saying? Did I not clarify previously that you are not a burden to me? And about those organizations, you needn’t worry about them."

He paused for a moment and looked directly into Seraphiel’s pupils, making sure that she understood he was serious about what he had just said. His gaze remained steady as he prepared to explain his position more clearly.

"I will kill them whoever comes in the way of our lives." Atlas’s words remained in Seraphiel’s mind as she continued looking at him, unable to respond immediately. The two stayed silent for a long moment, with Seraphiel trying to understand how easily he had accepted the possibility of killing anyone who threatened them.

Eventually, she spoke again, her voice carrying a mixture of concern and hesitation, "Atlas, that’s the problem, isn’t it? I don’t want you to be some murderer just because of me. I want you to live peacefully with me...I-I want you to remain as you are."

"I-If my possessing those powers mean that you will become a mass murderer in the whole Galaxy, th-then I don’t want those powers!" Seraphiel shouted as tears began streaming down her cheeks, unable to hold back the emotions that had built up inside her.

She leaned against Atlas’s chest and sniffed as she tried to calm herself, her hands still holding onto him as though she needed his presence to steady her thoughts. Atlas could only look at her quietly, understanding the meaning behind her words as he listened to her concerns.

After all, her reaction came from a genuine desire to protect him rather than from a fear of the power itself.

Atlas remained silent for a long moment, unable to give her a definitive answer to that concern. However, after exhaling slowly, he began explaining their situation and the decision he had made regarding the Conclave. He told her that they would join it to prevent those who might target her from taking her away, while also gaining the protection necessary to deal with such threats.

On top of that, the Conclave would provide them with resources that could help both of them grow stronger, allowing them to improve their abilities and better protect themselves.

Hearing his explanation, Seraphiel’s tears gradually reduced, and she slowly stopped sniffing as she continued listening to him. Atlas looked at her before speaking again, "Do you get it now? It is not that your possessing some unknown power will change me, it is that your possession to that power will make both you and me stronger with which we will simply be able to live quietly."

He paused briefly before closing his eyes and continuing in the same calm voice, "If even after that they come to disturb us then it is natural that we retaliate right?"

"You should know that the Galaxy is no better than the world we live in Sera. It is even worse, strong always prey upon weak, so why should we remain tight in our hands? Isn’t it natural that we also get what we want?" Atlas explained, trying to make her understand that their desire to live peacefully did not mean they would allow others to threaten them without responding.

His words gradually made Seraphiel reconsider her earlier thoughts, and she began to realize that she had overlooked something important despite believing she understood the situation. She had been so concerned about what her power might make Atlas do that she had failed to consider the intentions of those who might try to take advantage of it.

"Doesn’t everyone have a right to live? If they do Kidnap you or kill you...do you think I will remain sane to care about not mass slaughter? If we leave the part where you are not with me when I venture through the Galaxy, Greed will always be inside them and that would lead to them attacking me." Atlas’s eyes turned bloodshot as he tilted his head upward toward the sky, his expression becoming more intense as he continued explaining his thoughts.

"When that happens, they will naturally die as they also should keep in mind that if they are there to kill others, they should also be ready to die."

He turned toward Seraphiel again and noticed that her eyes had widened as she began to understand what he was trying to explain. Atlas looked directly at her and asked, "You understand what I am getting at right?" Seraphiel nodded instinctively, her thoughts gradually becoming clearer as she considered his words from a different perspective.

’Atlas is right, I-Its not my fault that I was born with that kind of power. It’s their greed that wants to covet it.’ She felt as though an insight that had remained trapped inside her mind had finally become clear, allowing her to recognize that she wasn’t responsible for the actions others might take because of her existence.

Seraphiel immediately wiped away her tears and looked at Atlas as she spoke, "I understand Atlas. But still I would not want you to kill people because of me." Although she had begun to understand his reasoning, the thought of Atlas killing others for her sake still troubled her, and she didn’t want their life together to become centered around him protecting her from every possible threat.

Atlas frowned slightly at her response, but before he could question her further, Seraphiel continued speaking, her expression gradually turning serious as she considered what she needed to do herself.

"If they covet me, shouldn’t I be the one to retaliate? I myself will kill them." Seraphiel paused before looking directly into Atlas’s pupils, her own pupils gradually turning obsessively black, resembling a deep abyss.

Her expression remained serious as she continued, "I will grow stronger, I will control that power if I need to but I myself will kill whoever tries to take me away." She held his gaze as she finished speaking, making her decision clear before adding, "After all, I want to be with you forever, it wouldn’t be good if I were to be taken away right, Atlas?"