The atmosphere of the White Raven division camp was as bustling as it could be. Unlike the Ravensteins, the members of the division had been unable to reach the middle of the coliseum. It was only after returning to their division that they were able to see Atticus face to face.
It went without saying that many of them were terrified as they met his piercing blue eyes, but the anticipation of the moment fueled their courage.
Atticus found himself in another sequence of being tossed upwards continuously once again. Their leader was the strongest in the academy!
Despite having many reservations about it, and with a small frown, Atticus allowed himself to be tossed into the air. He could understand why they were happy and would rather not be a buzzkill.
Of course, the smug look on Aurora’s face did little to curb this annoyance, intensifying it in fact. But much to Atticus’s chagrin, after a few minutes of cheers and screaming, they eventually came to a steady stop, with Atticus landing on the ground quietly.
“We have to celebrate!”
Before Atticus could even think of escaping, the excited voice of Nate suddenly rocked the space, followed by the other members of the division sharing his enthusiasm, each of them screaming at the top of their lungs.
A few minutes passed, and Atticus’s frown deepened. ‘I should be training,’ Atticus sighed, resting his head on his right hand.
The leader summit had ended late, with the sun setting after they got back to their division.
He was currently seated outside at an earthen table just in front of the mansion. All around him were the figures of the Ravenstein youths along with the other members of the division, seated around an expansive and large circular earthen table.
Nate had gone out of his way to make the scene akin to a medieval feast. There were shockingly large pieces of meat and an incredible number of mouthwatering dishes. It had cost a fortune to purchase from the mess hall, but Nate would say that it was well worth it.
A multitude of orbs floated in the air, illuminating the area in a golden glow.
Chubby ate like a madman, as though he hadn’t eaten for weeks. He had made sure to be seated far away from Atticus so he wouldn’t have to be reserved.
The excitement of the students was still present as many of them conversed with each other. Atticus couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed.
Most of the talks were about him and his exploits at the summit! It didn’t help that his keen senses allowed him to hear everything. Some of them even went as far as standing up to demonstrate.
Atticus sighed. Turning to his side, his gaze landed on Aurora, who was gazing at her food, lost in thought. She hadn’t even taken a single bite.
“Attention!”
Just as Atticus was about to speak, Nate’s shout, coupled with the clanging of a cup, made the students quiet down, curious about what Nate was about to say.
“I would like to make a toast!” Nate suddenly raised his cup, which, instead of being glass, was iron. Lucas couldn’t help but shake his head. What the hell was wrong with him?
Turning to face Atticus, Nate continued, “To our fearless and overpowered leader who brought us to this stage, to our leader who showed the rest of the academy who the White Omens are, to the white-haired devil, to the young master!”
Nate’s last words were followed by the rest of the students, Ravensteins and division members included, raising their cups and speaking in unison, “To the young master!”
Atticus also raised his cup with a smile before drinking its contents along with everyone. Of course, there was no way the academy would allow alcohol; it had simply been juice.
After Nate’s toast, Atticus hadn’t been able to get the chance to talk to Aurora as he was immediately bombarded from all sides by members of his division who kept asking different questions.
Atticus kept his answers vague and succinct, but the staggering number of questions made it a chore.
The feast lasted for hours, a time during which Atticus eventually decided to let go of his inhibitions and simply enjoy his time alongside the others.
Afterwards, Atticus was finally able to separate from the group and head towards the advanced training room. It had been an incredibly long day for him.
For the others, it might have just been a couple of hours, but for him, it was days! During this time, he had to hunt, always be on his toes, and escape from the members of the Bone Race. This was not even considering his unfair and unfavorable welcome into the summit and the mind-numbing end of it.
However, despite everything that had happened—events that would have left many completely exhausted—Atticus still wanted to train.
The things he had just found out had simply interested him that much.
Atticus entered the advanced training room. Upon seeing its pristine white features, he couldn’t help but experience déjà vu and recall the Bone Race he had faced.
Atticus cleared his thoughts and moved towards the terminal, but before he could change the settings of the room, an AI voice suddenly sounded.
Hearing it, Atticus smiled slightly. “Open the door,” he immediately instructed the AI to let the visitor in.
The door slid open, revealing Aurora walking into the training room. “To what do I owe the pleasure, princess?” Atticus teased, despite seeing the serious look on Aurora’s face.
However, the serious look on her face didn’t change as she locked eyes with Atticus.
Aurora’s fists suddenly clenched by her sides as she spoke, “Atticus, I don’t want to feel useless again. I want to get stronger,” she said firmly.
Atticus couldn’t help but inwardly praise her. She went straight to the point! ‘This will save a lot of time.’
“But you’re already strong,” Atticus responded calmly.
“No! I need to get stronger. It’s clearly not enough to be useful to—”
“Me?”
Atticus finished her sentence before she could, then sighed.
“Aurora, I’m going to be real with you here,” Atticus suddenly walked closer to her before continuing, “You’re my family, and I really believe that there’s no need for you to want to be useful to me, but since it’s the way you feel, I’m going to have to accept that.”