Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

"Swear your allegiance to me…" he said, "…and I will raise you to the top."

In the hall where all the paragons of humanity sat, and where a nineteen-year-old youth led the meeting, an eerie silence followed his words.

The implications were too profound. It was like dropping a bomb in the heart of a city and watching the devastation unfold in complete stillness.

"…Swear allegiance?" Zephyrion of the Nubulom family finally broke the silence, his voice uncertain.

"Yes," Atticus said without hesitation.

At that confirmation, the expressions of nearly every paragon darkened, except for Magnus, Oberon, Luminous, and Thorne.

The latter two had already signed mana contracts that bound them to Atticus. His words hadn't shaken them, they were already in this position. Plus, they knew this was inevitable.

There was no doubt left.

Atticus was the most powerful being in the entire human domain. Even if they all stood together, defeating him was… unlikely.

Octavius of the Resonara family clenched his jaw, and his voice was filled with disbelief. "And how exactly do you expect us to do that?"

"By signing a mana contract," Atticus replied flatly.

BAM!

The armrest beneath Vexarius's hand cracked violently, scorched from his grip. He stood, eyes seething, aura distorting the air.

"You want us to become your slaves?" he snapped. "So this is what we feared! The second you became more powerful than us, you'd abuse it!"

His voice rose. "You want dominance over us? I would rather die than become your slave!"

He slammed his foot down as he rose, cracks spiderwebbing from beneath his feet.

But all he got in return… was the world slamming down on him.

An invisible weight crushed his shoulders. His body jerked violently and was slammed to the ground. The upper tier the paragons sat on shattered as he tore through it, crashing into the lower floor with a devastating impact.

His eyes widened in disbelief, aura flaring wildly as he fought back, but it didn't matter.

'I… I can't move an inch…' he thought, horror creeping in.

The pressure… was monstrous.

His eyes strained upward toward the paragons, only to see a scene that made his heart skip.

It was Atticus.

Still seated, still facing forward. Not even sparing Vexarius a glance.

And yet, he was the one holding him down.

The other paragons, who had been moments away from protesting, swallowed their words. And silence descended on the hall once more.

Then, Oberon finally spoke, his tone calm but solemn. "What will be the terms of this mana contract?"

The other paragons stared at him in disbelief. Was he actually considering this?

But Oberon didn't meet their eyes. He looked only at Atticus.

"Two clauses," Atticus said, turning slightly. "You will follow my commands in matters concerning the war and humanity's survival. Your will, your choices, your families, everything else remains your own. And second, you will never betray me under any circumstances."

Octavius's eyes narrowed. "Or else? What if we decide not to sign?"

The tension thickened again, the air almost humming from its intensity.

"Or else nothing," Atticus said calmly. "I'll take control regardless. Your worth and agreement aren't as important as you think."

"You're giving us no choice," Octavius growled.

"I'm giving you the choice to keep everything you hold dear, your homes, your families, your status. I don't want them. I don't care about them. I care only about my goal."

The room fell into heavy silence.

But before most could even react, Oberon moved first. From his space storage, he retrieved a mana contract and began drafting the clause.

Surprisingly, Magnus followed suit, drawing out a contract of his own.

Atticus's expression shifted faintly as he turned toward him. "You don't have to sign one, Grandpa."

Magnus shook his head. "I will."

Atticus met his eyes, and he exhaled softly. 'He's serious about this…'

Magnus was one of the people Atticus trusted completely. Asking him for a mana contract felt wrong, it was an insult to the bond they shared.

But he understood what the old man was doing. This wasn't about trust, it was about making a statement. About standing beside him in front of the world.

So, Atticus signed them both.

The contracts glowed and dissolved into motes of light, binding the mana oath.

One by one, others followed: Thorne, Seraphina, Luminous, Garvic, and Aurelius. Each added their name to the binding contract.

Only three remained: Vexarius, who was still crushed beneath Atticus's pressure; Octavius, whose face had twisted into anger; and Zephyrion, deep in thought, watching silently.

Then, without turning, Atticus spoke once more in a cold tone.

"You have two minutes."

And with that, he fell silent again.

To him, there was nothing more to say. The decision was theirs now. He had made the consequences clear, and now it would be theirs to bear should they refuse.

Moments passed in silence, and Zephyrion eventually exhaled a deep, burdened sigh, finally snapping out of his thoughts. Without a word, he brought out a contract, signed it, and sent it toward Atticus.

It vanished in motes of light.

Octavius clicked his tongue in frustration, muttering under his breath, "I hope you all know what you're doing," casting a bitter glance toward the other paragons, those who had already signed.

But even he, reluctantly, retrieved a contract, signed it, and let it vanish like the others.

Then… all eyes turned to the last one, Vexarius, still pinned to the floor.

Oberon opened his mouth. "Vex—"

But Vexarius cut him off with a roar.

"I would rather die than become a slave to that power-hungry brat!"

His voice echoed through the hall, filled with nothing but rage.

"You fools can choose to sell your freedom, but I will never follow him! Never!"

Some of the paragons looked toward Atticus, only to see his eyes closed, head slightly tilted downward.

He wasn't even listening.

It was as though he was simply waiting… for the two minutes to pass.

Oberon's tone suddenly turned cold.

"Vexarius," he said sharply, "you're a hypocrite."

Vexarius blinked, his anger stopping momentarily.

"You lead the Sentinel Guardians. You've made thousands fall beneath your authority. Why?"