Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Ozeroth remained silent that night. And as his bond, Atticus could feel everything the spirit felt.

In all honesty, Atticus understood, perhaps better than anyone, that the prideful spirit had a lot to process.

If he had just found out that everything he believed his entire life was a lie, twice in such a short span, he wasn't sure he'd have handled it any better.

Not only had Ozeroth discovered that the power he'd spent centuries pursuing was merely fueling another's path, a cheap imitation, as he often called it, but now there was the possibility that the man he hated most in the world might be his father?

To anyone else, it might seem like he was overreacting. But now, Atticus understood just how important the concept of kin was to Ozeroth.

That night, the spirit had reflected on everything, and, thankfully, he hadn't blocked his thoughts. Atticus had heard it all.

Ozeroth had never had anyone to call family. Not once in all his centuries. So when he'd finally said Atticus was the first person he could call kin, Atticus had been genuinely honored. He had smiled warmly.

"You're my family too," Atticus had said. And for a moment, Ozeroth's thoughts froze. Atticus could feel the delight ripple through him, though his words quickly masked it.

"Why are you being so gay, bond? I don't swing that way," Ozeroth blurted out.

Atticus laughed. It was typical Ozeroth. The mood lightened briefly… then the silence returned.

Ozeroth resumed his thinking, but Atticus interrupted.

"Why don't you do something about it?"

Ozeroth paused. "What do you mean?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the two issues you're dealing with right now are the possibility of the Spirit King being your father… and the fact that you've been walking a false path all this time, right?"

Ozeroth didn't respond, but the silence was answer enough.

"Then instead of brooding, why not do something about it? Find your true path. At least it'll keep your mind occupied, and you'll get stronger while you're at it."

Ozeroth fell into deep silence, digesting the words. But Atticus wasn't done.

"As for the Spirit King… there's nothing we can do now. When we ascend to the Midplanes, we'll get all the answers we need."

More silence followed.

"…Then I'll have to start again," Ozeroth finally said, the weight in his tone was heavy.

But even as he spoke, Atticus could feel it, he had made up his mind. He wasn't happy about it, but no one was as prideful as he was, he wasn't going to cling to a falsehood.

Atticus smiled. "I don't think so."

"Hmm?"

"I don't think you'll have to start from scratch."

Those were words Ozeroth wanted to believe. He said nothing, letting Atticus continue.

"There are two reasons I believe that. First, our bond. Our powers are in sync. Even if you abolish your current path, my Will will still influence you. There's no way it wouldn't."

The assumption made sense. Still, Ozeroth waited for the second part.

"And second," Atticus continued, "I don't think that's how Will works. From what I've seen, the power system you follow in the Spirit World is different from Whisker's and his siblings, but they're built on the same foundation. Yours has three folds, awareness, integration, and manifestation. That's just another way of saying intent, impose, and manifest."

"But here's the point, what's Will truly built on?"

There was a pause, then Ozeroth answered, "Experience… and knowing yourself."

Atticus nodded. "Exactly. The more trials you've endured, the sturdier and broader your Will becomes. And the more you understand yourself, the sharper and more potent it becomes."

That was when Ozeroth shot out of Atticus, materializing before him. His eyes were wide. He barely had time to stop Noctis from trying to lick his face before he locked eyes with Atticus.

"Bond… you mean…"

Atticus nodded. "Your Will's size and density will still be there. The only thing you'll need to rebuild is its potency. And honestly, I can't imagine anyone more self centered than you."

A grin stretched across Ozeroth's face. Honestly, he felt a little stupid. Everything Atticus had said was obvious, but his mind had been so clouded, he hadn't seen it clearly.

He might lose the Spirit Will path, but his experiences were his. His Will would remain vast and durable. Now, he just had to hone it into something sharp again and increase its potency.

"Kuu!"

Noctis wiggled, clearly wanting to get free. But Ozeroth didn't budge. He had a lot to think about, and the last thing he needed was to be lulled to sleep.

Excited, he was already itching to begin his training immediately until Atticus stopped him.

"You should let Whisker train you," Atticus said, barely holding back his smile.

'Payback.'

Whisker was vacationing somewhere on Eldoralth right now.

'Let's see how long that peace lasts with Ozeroth around.'

Ozeroth looked reluctant… but Atticus gave him the nudge.

"I'm sure Whisker would be honored to train someone as great as Ozeroth."

That did it.

His ego stroked, Ozeroth grinned wide, handed Noctis back to Atticus, and shot off at full speed in a random direction.

Atticus couldn't hold the laughter anymore. He burst out laughing, already picturing Whisker's reaction.

…

Eldoralth had turned into a wasteland from the battles that ravaged it during the day, but somehow, Whisker had still found the perfect spot to chill.

The night air was crisp, and the silver glow of the moon bathed the figure atop a cliff in soft light.

Two trees had grown from the rocks, and stretched between them was a hammock, formed by tired blankets. Right in the middle of it, Whisker lay sprawled.

The rhythmic sound of waves crashing onto the shore filled the air, but Whisker paid it no mind. He was shirtless, resting on a small island in the middle of a vast body of water.

The trees had no leaves or branches, giving him a clear, uninterrupted view of the starlit sky. It was night, and countless stars dotted the heavens.

This… this was peace.

"Damn, I should've done this earlier," Whisker muttered, gazing up with a peaceful smile. He couldn't even imagine anything ruining this moment.

But, unfortunately for him, he'd just jinxed it.