The intensity of Zephyr's heartbeat was indescribable.
Although it might seem impossible, to Zephyr, who was the closest to his heart, each beat sounded as loud as a war drum, increasing in intensity as the sound of footsteps neared.
Atticus walked silently and unhurriedly towards the figure of Zephyr on the ground.
Atticus was always thinking about multiple things all at once despite not showing or acting on it.
His thoughts could change at any time depending on the current needs and circumstances.
Regardless, there was one category of thought that wouldn't change no matter what— his revenges.
Zephyr had attacked Aurora about eight months ago, and since then, the boy hadn't attended lectures even once.
If it had been him who was attacked, Atticus might or might not have gone this far. He might have even decided to leave it until after the academy. But to think that Zephyr had the audacity to attack his family…
Atticus would be leaving the academy the next day, but before he left, he would pay back every one of his grievances.
Even if he hadn't been given the privilege to visit other division camps, Atticus would have demanded it.
He was literally leaving the academy for their benefit; it was the least they could do.
He couldn't see a future where Zephyr wouldn't pay.
The streaming water beneath Zephyr suddenly wrapped around him, raising him upwards as Atticus simultaneously reached and stood in front of him.
The intensity at which Zephyr's whole body was shaking was so staggering that it would be impossible for him to stand if the water wasn't supporting him.
"W-wait," Zephyr's voice trembled, his eyes wide as his gaze landed on Atticus standing in front of him.
However, all he got was a hammering punch that landed brutally on his mouth.
It took time for Zephyr's brain to register the pain, but his body was living in reality.
Zephyr's head jerked backward, his lips bursting in a fountain of blood and becoming a battered mess. The entirety of his front teeth broke into pieces, crimson blood raining on the ground.
Zephyr's hair suddenly lit up with intensity, an instinctual reaction from the overwhelming pain that had set in.
The scenery changed, the once extravagant dining room suddenly becoming a space filled to the brim with searing hot lava. Bursts of lava erupted from multiple areas, with the figures of Atticus and Zephyr sinking into scorching lava.
Yet despite all of this, it was insanely weird because the sound of Atticus's footsteps never once stopped.
The scenery changed once more. The scorching lava space shifted, and in the next second, the walls seemed to lengthen, the ground disappeared, and they each found themselves falling from high up in the sky.
It all felt real.
It had infiltrated every fiber, every sinew, causing his muscles to stiffen and lose their flexibility. The normally fluid motion of his limbs became sluggish and unresponsive, as if they were encased in a heavy, invisible shell.
His joints, usually lubricated for smooth movement, now felt swollen and immobile, the water creating a bloated, stiff sensation.
Zephyr continued shouting, but no matter how hard he screamed, one thing remained constant: the sound of Atticus's footsteps.
This remained so until Atticus abruptly stopped, an intense chill immediately enveloping Zephyr, making him shut up.
Atticus didn't utter a single word, not a ripple of anger on his features as he stared at Zephyr. One wouldn't even imagine that he had come for revenge, but Zephyr knew well the devil that was Atticus.
And in the next second, he felt it.
It started gradually. To Zephyr, it felt insanely relieving, making him doubt Atticus's intentions.
But this only lasted for a second. In the next moment, Zephyr felt pain the likes of which he had never experienced before.
The water coursing through his whole body started bubbling as its temperature increased to staggering levels.
In every single muscle and joint, in every fiber, every sinew, every organ, Zephyr felt it. The searing hot water cooking him from the inside.
It was guttural and deafening at the same time.
Zephyr screamed.
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