Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1078

Chapter 1078: Viable [Ko-Fi Bonus Chapters]
“I love you so much, son.”

Atticus’s grin only widened. He chuckled. “That’s gross.”

But Avalon shook his head and stood up, instantly pulling him into a tight hug.

“I don’t know if your way will work or not,” he said softly, “but the fact that you tried… it means a lot to me.”

Atticus smiled. He could feel the raw emotion in his father’s voice. Slowly, he returned the hug, patting Avalon’s back.

“Why are you patting my back?” Avalon asked suddenly.

Atticus froze. He hadn’t realized how the scene looked. He was already taller than his father, and with the way he stood, gently tapping his back, he looked more like the parent in this moment.

“Sorry,” he muttered, chuckling.

Avalon pulled away and cleared his throat, giving his son a long look.

“When did you even get so tall?” he asked, frowning.

He had noticed it before but never thought much of it. Yet now, having to look up at his own son, something about it didn’t sit right.

“I think the real question is, why are you so short?” Atticus replied with a smile.

Avalon’s mouth twitched. His hand clamped down on Atticus’s shoulder.

“You brat. Say that again.”

“I’ll tell Mom you’re bullying me,” Atticus smirked.

Avalon’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Bullying him?

His son was one of the most powerful beings on the planet. And he, a Grandmaster+, was the bully?

Shameless!

But Atticus didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“You brat,” Avalon muttered again, raising his hand to ruffle Atticus’s silky hair. “Always using my one weakness against me, huh?”

“That’s the way the world works,” Atticus replied with a shrug.

Avalon chuckled, shaking his head. Then his eyes gleamed as he recalled something.

“Wait… isn’t that Starhaven girl in the estate? You two had a thing at the academy, didn’t you?”

Atticus tried to maintain his usual blank expression, but the silence that followed told Avalon everything he needed.

“The way the world works, right?” Avalon grinned. “Now I know exactly who to report you to.”

“You can go ahead,” Atticus muttered. “I don’t care.”

“Oh really?” Avalon said. “I bet she’d love to see your cute and lovely baby pictures.”

Atticus’s expression darkened. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Avalon burst into laughter, eyes flaring. “You want to try me?”

Atticus sighed. “Alright, alright. This is getting too serious. Let’s just double back. I’m your loving son, remember?”

“Of course, of course,” Avalon said, nodding. “But I can’t do that to her, you know? She’s worried about you.”

Atticus’s mouth twitched.

This man was using his lines against him.

Avalon chuckled. “You should see your face.”

Atticus broke into a smile. Despite all the teasing, only one thing mattered: his father had returned to his cheerful self.

Then Avalon extended a hand, his expression softening. “I’ll keep yours… if you keep mine.”

Atticus looked at him silently for a moment, then said,

“Only if you promise never to train like that again.”

Avalon smiled gently. “I promise.”

Atticus smiled before taking the offered hand.

But Avalon wasn’t done. He pulled Atticus into another hug, this one firmer, warmer.

“I’m so proud of you, son,” he whispered, making Atticus smile.

Soon after, they both left the training room and returned to the mansion upstairs.

True to their promise, Atticus hadn’t mentioned what had happened in the basement to anyone, not even Magnus or Anastasia.

They had kept it between themselves.

To his relief, Avalon had also upheld his end of the bargain. He hadn’t shown Zoey the baby pictures. Though, the one Atticus truly feared seeing them was Aurora.

There was no way she’d ever let it go.

He’d gone through great lengths to keep those embarrassing photos away from her when they were kids. He wasn’t going to let his father ruin all of that now.

He had an image to maintain, after all.

And just like that, days passed, turning into weeks.

Throughout this time, Atticus had been incredibly busy. His schedule was packed tight.

The first thing he ensured was staying well-informed about the state of the human domain.

Thankfully, Lyanna had been handling that aspect well.

Ever since his biting speech, the riots across the sectors had completely stopped. That didn’t mean life had returned to normal. Far from it, in fact.

There was always an undercurrent of tension, like a taut thread ready to snap at any second, hanging in the air.

Everyone was tense. Everyone was waiting.

The Aegis shield protecting them could only stay active for so long.

And everyone knew… the day it failed would be the day carnage returned.

Still, no one rioted.

Part of it was because of Atticus’s speech.

The other was his overwhelming power.

On the day of his speech, he had hovered above Sector One, and still, his presence had reached all ten sectors.

It was insane.

Beyond that, Atticus also made occasional public appearances, not just for show, but also as a reminder. A reminder that he was still there. Still with them.

The tier one paragons joined in as well.

Sometimes, they would hover silently in the skies, letting their auras wash over the people.

Beyond that, Atticus also paid occasional visits to each of the Aegis Nodes, ensuring everything remained in order.

He didn’t just inspect them, he layered more of his runes across their structures, fortifying their defenses even more.

He also spent time with Zoey, Aurora, Ember, Caldor, and Kael.

They had all but moved into the Ravenstein estate, making it their base of operations as they prepared for what was to come.

Their visits were mostly light-hearted and brief, just vibes, really. But during those moments, Atticus found himself talking to Zoey more.

The earlier tension between them had begun to ease, slowly but surely.

Still, nothing conclusive had happened.

Throughout all this, Atticus kept up with his own training while also helping Avalon with his.

The idea they had tested turned out to be viable. It would take time, yes, but compared to how long it normally would’ve taken, Avalon had no complaints.

Each session brought him closer to his goal. And for that, he was genuinely grateful.

For a time, everything was going well for the human domain.

But it was only a matter of time before that changed.

On the 16th day since the declaration of war, the warships of the Dimensari, Vampyros, and Dragons arrived.

They blotted out the sky like a second apocalypse.