Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1073

Chapter 1073: Princess
At this point, they were all too used to Kael and his ever-present thirst for battle.

After a few seconds of laughter, Caldor spoke,

“So… are you staying this time? Or will you be leaving us peasants to our mundane lives again?”

The smiles faded slightly as the others turned their gazes toward Atticus. He could feel it instantly, hope. They weren’t just teasing. They genuinely wanted him to stay.

Atticus smiled, “I’ll be staying.”

A faint smile appeared on Ember’s lips.

Aurora smiled too, but quickly cleared her throat and turned her head away, trying to play it off. Still, the joy in her expression had already made it clear that she was happy.

“Awesome!” Caldor pumped his fist. “We’re going to have so much fun! You know Ravenspire has changed a lot since I left!”

Atticus raised an eyebrow. “You do realize we’re preparing for war, right?”

“That’s even more reason to have fun!” Caldor declared. “The end might be near. Oh dear lord, we have to party like never before! I’ll make arrangements!”

The group shook their heads as Caldor spun on his heel and made his way toward the exit of the training room.

But he didn’t get far.

The air turned electrified.

Crack.

A flash of lightning split the air and Magnus stood in the center of the training ground.

“Train,” he said flatly.

Caldor froze mid-step, slowly turning around.

“Grandpa! You’re back!” he shouted with a nervous grin, running toward him.

Magnus spared him a look, then turned to Atticus and let out a small, tired sigh.

Atticus stifled a laugh, shaking his head.

The moment passed, and the others began leaving to resume their training.

Aurora glanced back. “I’ll come find you after!”

“Me too,” Ember added with a small wave as they both turned and walked to Magnus.

Kael stepped forward and stretched out a fist.

“Fight later?”

Atticus chuckled. Kael had seen his strength firsthand, yet still wanted to spar.

He bumped his fist against Kael’s.

“Sure.”

As Kael turned and left, Atticus finally looked toward the last person remaining.

Zoey.

Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, before she quickly looked away, her head snapping to the side like she’d been caught staring.

Atticus didn’t move, didn’t speak. He simply kept his gaze on her.

Zoey cleared her throat, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

“I—I’m glad you’re okay,” she said softly.

Atticus tilted his head. “That’s not how it looks, though.”

Zoey blinked. “What do you mean?”

“The others were happy to see me,” he said. “They showed it. Hugged me. Even Aurora did.”

Zoey froze. For a moment, she wanted to blurt out that Kael hadn’t hugged him either, but stopped herself. That’d be an excuse. And somehow, she knew, Atticus being who he was, he’d already have a counter to that.

She slowly laced her fingers together in front of her, staring at the ground.

“Is that… okay?” she muttered.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Zoey hesitated. Then… she took a slow step forward, then another. Her hands trembled as she lifted them, arms stretching toward him, offering the most hesitant hug in the world.

But the moment her arms made contact, Atticus closed the gap and gently pulled her closer.

She gasped slightly, startled. “Atticus?”

“I’m glad you survived too,” he murmured. Then after a short pause, “I’ve missed you.”

Zoey’s eyes widened. Her breath froze, but then her arms tightened around him, and she whispered back, “Me too.”

They stayed like that for a while. Not speaking. Just breathing.

And when they finally pulled apart, Zoey’s gaze immediately fell to the floor again, her cheeks tinged with red. The air around them grew quiet, awkward.

Atticus gave a faint smile.

“You’ve changed,” he said. But he didn’t just mean it outwardly.

He could feel it, just like before, he could sense all of Zoey’s emotions. There had always been feelings of jealousy, frustration, and envy.

But now there was clarity. Determination.

He hadn’t forgotten what she did during the battle between Viktor and Drakthanion, how she’d thrown herself into danger without hesitation, for his sake.

And for Atticus, that single act was enough to let go of every grudge he had once held against her.

Zoey flinched slightly. “I… I did?”

She looked surprised. Then, suddenly panicking, she touched her face, brushing her fingers across her cheeks and forehead like she was checking for dirt or smudges.

Atticus couldn’t help but chuckle. The sight was so out of place for the normally composed Zoey.

She shot him a glare. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Atticus said quickly. Then his expression softened.

“Relax. I wasn’t talking about your looks… you’re still as beautiful as ever. Don’t worry.”

A flush rushed up Zoey’s face, painting her cheeks pink. She hadn’t expected that, especially not from him.

“I meant your eyes,” Atticus continued. “They’ve changed. They’re more… focused. I saw what you did. Back then, when you risked your life for me. It’s commendable. Thank you.”

Zoey looked away with a small smile. “I still have a long way to go.”

“That’s a good mindset to have,” he said, nodding. “But don’t let it weigh you down. Not many would’ve done what you did.”

Zoey nodded again, her smile staying. Being praised by Atticus like this… it felt good.

A small silence fell between them. Not uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either. The kind of silence that appeared when there were still things left unsaid.

Then, the distant sounds of people being tossed around, most likely Magnus flinging the others again, echoed through the hall.

Zoey turned to look. “I better get back to training.”

“Yeah,” Atticus said.

Then, “I’ll talk to you later,” he added.

Zoey smiled, a smile so radiant it made his heart throb unexpectedly.

“I’ll talk to you later,” she echoed before turning and jogging back toward the training grounds.

Atticus watched her go, still smiling faintly.

‘Stop smiling. It’s annoying,’ Ozeroth’s voice grumbled in his head.

‘Now who’s the princess?’ Atticus shot back.

‘How dare you—’

‘Princess Ozzy,’ Atticus added with a laugh.

Ozeroth erupted in his head, but Atticus tuned him out and turned to leave the training hall.

He walked in silence through the Ravenstein estate, until he arrived at the burial grounds.

There, standing like a statue at the entrance, was Nate.

He wasn’t moving.

Just staring forward with a lost, distant gaze.