Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1076

Chapter 1076: Absolute Control
“Stop this. Or I’ll tell Mom.”

Avalon’s expression hardened. If he had to be honest, that was the last thing he expected Atticus to say.

And somehow… it was the best weakness Atticus could have exploited.

“…Atticus.”

Avalon gave him a small smile, but to Atticus, it wasn’t a smile at all.

His father’s emotions came crashing onto him, and the most overwhelming of them was shame.

That smile held only one thing: sadness.

Avalon looked at him, his eyes pleading.

“Please… just drop it.”

But Atticus shook his head. “No. It’s not right. If it were up to me, I might’ve let you be. But it’s not. Mom’s already worried. If she finds out what you’re doing… it’ll break her heart.”

Avalon’s fist clenched tighter. “Which is why you shouldn’t tell her.”

“I’m not doing that to her,” Atticus replied instantly. “I won’t.”

Avalon’s voice dropped, turning bitter. “Why are you making it sound like you don’t keep secrets? We all know you do. Why can’t you just keep mine?”

Atticus fell silent.

Avalon had a point. He did have secrets, dangerous ones. The kind that put his life on the line daily.

And he had no idea how his mother would react if she ever found out.

He exhaled slowly.

‘I’m a hypocrite.’

But he didn’t care. He would accept it with his full chest.

If Avalon wanted to keep torturing himself, he should’ve done a better job hiding it.

There was no way Atticus would sleep well at night knowing his father was doing something like this.

“When you find out the secrets I’m supposedly keeping to myself,” Atticus said, “you’re free to tell her.”

Avalon sighed, his shoulders sagging. He shut his eyes for a long moment, then turned away from his son.

“…Atticus,” he murmured. “You’re right. I feel… useless.”

His voice was quiet. Tired. Like it had been buried under years of pressure.

“So many things are happening all at once. And soon, our family will be in more danger than ever before.”

He paused, the heat around him rising like a wave.

“Your mother… your grandfather… your cousins Ariel left behind… And I know, deep down, that I can’t protect a single one of them.”

Avalon clenched his fists so tightly Atticus heard the sharp crack of his knuckles.

The heat around him rose again, his sadness clear.

“I know I haven’t done much for you as a father,” Avalon continued, his voice shaking now, “but if you still see me in that light…”

“Please. I’m begging you, Atticus. Drop this. I’ve already lost Ariel once. I won’t lose another.”

A single streak of tear fell down Atticus’s face.

It was… shocking. For a being of his strength, crying was something he thought he’d never do again.

Especially not over words.

But he didn’t care to understand it.

Another tear slipped down, and he didn’t bother to wipe it away.

He stood there, silently watching the broad back of his father.

Avalon had turned away. But it was not in anger, nor in shame. But for one reason only:

To hide the tears that streamed down his face.

And Atticus could feel it. Every single emotion Avalon was drowning in.

Shame.

Fear.

Doubt.

Overwhelming, burning anger.

But Atticus knew he wasn’t angry at the world. He wasn’t angry at him either. He was angry at himself.

Atticus saw through it all.

Through the complex storm of emotions swirling inside his father. Through the scorching heat bleeding from his skin.

He saw only one thing:

A father who wanted, desperately, to protect his family.

And yet… Atticus truly didn’t know what to say next.

Avalon had practically begged him to let it go. To drop the matter. But it just didn’t feel right.

In fact, there was no way he’d be able to focus on anything knowing this was still going on in the background.

‘Bond.’

The voice echoed in his mind. Ozeorth.

“I know,” Atticus replied inwardly.

He already knew what Ozeorth implied.

From Avalon’s current emotions… even if he told Anastasia, all he would do was break her heart. Because there was no stopping Avalon. Not right now.

‘But what he’s doing won’t help him in the long run,’ Atticus added after some seconds.

‘It doesn’t matter to him,’ Ozeorth said. ‘His focus is power, even if it ruins his potential.’

Atticus’s teeth clenched.

He considered what Avalon was doing foolish.

To reach the Paragon rank, one had to become the molecules. Not control them. Not tame them. But become them.

It was a gradual process, achievable either through overwhelming talent or time.

Avalon had talent. But not Atticus’s kind of talent. What his father needed was time and patience.

But instead… he was trying to fast-track the process by subjecting himself to fire at a temperature his body couldn’t sustain.

By trying to force the transition, he wasn’t just risking injury. He was damaging himself, long-term.

Even if he succeeded, he’d be unstable.

‘I can’t just leave him like this…’

‘Then find a solution for him,’ Ozeorth said simply.

Atticus went silent. Completely.

He could only stare at his father’s back.

It appeared wide and strong. But also slowly breaking under pressure.

And in that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to say a single word.

He turned his gaze away, letting it fall to the lava beneath his feet.

He needed to distract himself. He needed something, anything, to ground his thoughts.

And so, he let his mind wander.

He was practically submerged in molten lava, yet its heat didn’t touch him. Didn’t scorch him.

It felt… like water that couldn’t wet him.

He had absolute control over it.

‘Absolute control…’

The phrase echoed in his mind, over and over again, refusing to leave.

He couldn’t say why, and he couldn’t say what it meant or why it struck such a chord.

But something about it felt important.

Vital.

He looked toward Avalon once more, letting his senses feel the searing heat that surrounded his father’s body.

Then, with a single thought,

The temperature around Avalon began to fall. The heat melted away until the air turned still. Cold.

Another thought, and the heat surged back, as if the entire atmosphere had been lit ablaze.

Atticus’s eyes widened.

It was like a light bulb had gone off inside his head.

‘Absolute control!’