Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1221: Narrative

Atticus had seen their intentions coming a mile away. Political ploys. The same greed that had once plagued Eldoralth was beginning to rear its head again. Many wanted to secure more influence by involving their descendants.

Still, Atticus hadn’t stopped them. He saw no need to micromanage.

When Oberon had informed him of everything, he had only told the man one thing:

“The people can be excused to an extent from breaking the law. But any higher up breaking it will result in immediate death.”

Oberon had swallowed hard, and delivered the divine decree.

Luckily, no Paragon had been foolish enough to go against Atticus’ words.

Now seated beside many of the Paragons were youths Atticus recognized. His old academy mates.

Seraphine and Gerald Stellaris. Lila and Dell Alverian. Zephyr Nebulon. And many others.

They flinched and lowered their gazes as Atticus’ eyes landed on them.

‘It’s been a while,’ was all Atticus thought. He hadn’t built any meaningful relationship with them, so there wasn’t much else to consider.

But for them, their thoughts were anything but calm.

Lila was livid. Just a few years ago, they had been in the same academy, at the same level in society. Now, the same boy who once sat beside her in class… was a god. The god who ruled the entire world.

She didn’t know how to feel.

Dell’s body wouldn’t stop shaking. Atticus’ beating was still fresh in his head, despite the years that had passed.

The others were just as shaken. Hearing tales of Atticus’ feats and standing in his overwhelming presence were two very different things.

But regardless of what any of them thought, one thing was certain.

Atticus was in charge.

The Paragons and Eldorians were already on their feet the moment Atticus appeared, heads bowed.

There was nothing but silence as Atticus calmly scanned the crowd.

‘Is this really necessary?’ Ozeroth asked.

‘Yes.’ Atticus answered instantly. He had called a meeting right before the Virelenna to address everyone about the upcoming battle.

Ozeroth didn’t think it was needed, but Atticus thought otherwise.

‘Quiet Flame warned us that the competition would involve the entire world, not just its god. It’s not just me that’s ascending, it’s all of us.’

Atticus was simply being his cautious self.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of being a god was the fact that he was tied to his world. It was a weakness.

And if he didn’t want it exploited, he needed to make sure it wasn’t as hopeless as it seemed. To do that, the people here had to be aware of the coming storm.

“You can all have your seats.”

They listened and sat. Atticus glanced at the people in the front row, Jenera, Oberon, Magnus, Avalon, and the other Eldorians, before turning to face the rest. His aura spread, and the air instantly grew heavy. Then, he began speaking.

“I’ll go straight to the point. I convened this meeting to inform you all of what’s coming.”

Many shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They didn’t like the sound of that. If Atticus of all people was addressing them, then they couldn’t imagine how dire the situation was.

Atticus continued.

“The Zorvan threat is gone. But new ones have emerged. I won’t go into details because it’s not needed. But new worlds are out there, and they’re gunning for us.”

He could see the dread appearing on the faces of the Paragons. Especially the youths.

He didn’t stop speaking.

“We’ll be pitted against them moments from now and will be forced to fight for our survival. I don’t know how everything will play out… but I want you all to prepare, and be ready for war.”

Atticus paused briefly.

“Oberon and Jenera will pass along any further information and instructions. That is all.”

He disappeared the moment the last word dropped. The hall remained silent for a second, as though everyone was still grappling with what they’d just heard.

But as the moments passed, expressions shifted, calm turning to dread. They had lived in peace for more than a year now. No threats. No wars. No extinction level crises.

But that was all about to change.

Whispers broke out. Then chaos. Jenera and Oberon were instantly bombarded with questions from every corner of the room.

…

“I still don’t see why that was necessary, bond.”

Atticus could tell Ozeroth wasn’t happy with what he’d done. Understandable. The man was proud. And prideful men value truth more than lies.

And a moment ago… Atticus had just lied.

“Honestly, I can defend myself and claim I didn’t lie. I just didn’t say the complete truth.”

“It doesn’t matter! It’s cowardice!” Ozeroth grumbled.

Atticus shook his head and sighed. “It’s the safe option,” he said. “I won’t be here, and you won’t be either. We won’t know what’s happening down here. It’s better to be cautious.”

Atticus knew exactly what he’d just done. He had made it seem like aliens were coming to attack their world, when in truth, he was the one joining a competition meant to ascend them to a higher plane.

“The leaders are already under my control. But I don’t want to trust mana contracts too blindly, we’ve seen they’re not entirely absolute.”

He had long since placed the Paragons, and even the Eldorians, under mana contracts that guaranteed their loyalty.

But this time, they were dealing with other worlds. Worlds whose abilities weren’t truly known.

To be safe, he was moving with the mindset that mana contracts weren’t absolute. And to ensure the Paragons truly stayed loyal, he had chosen to switch the narrative.

Oberon and Jenera were aware of the true reason for the competition and its importance. But he had told them to give the other Paragons a different story.

The worlds had agreed to settle their grievances by playing a game with one another.

So instead of them resenting him for being selfish or reckless for putting Eldoralth in harm’s way, now, every Paragon would have only one thought:

They had to protect their world.