Tower of Heaven

'I have to save them.'

Atlas knew that there were better people than him. Artemia's family consisted of some of the strongest people in the Tower. If they acted, then everything would be solved in an instant.

'But that cannot happen.'

Horgen attacked Artemia because she was the little princess of the Azure Dragon Clan. Her status obviously meant something more than what Atlas originally thought, because attacking her otherwise was pointless.

The Cosmic Dragons launched a targeted attack on the Heavenly Dragons. Objectively, that was how this situation could be summed up.

'I have no information about the feud between them, so I cannot assume what kind of response they wanted from the Azure Dragon Clan, but I can assume that any response will be a bad response.'

If Alaric decided to do something crazy and become a Calamity Dragon again…

'I cannot let that happen.'

The Azure Dragon Clan was his greatest benefactor in this life. He would not allow them to take the wrong path.

And, even without that, Artemia was one of his only friends in this life. Though he hid so much from her, she stood by his side time and time again. This was the same for Horus as well.

They had been traveling together for over a year at this point. They meant enough to Atlas. He didn't need to use reason to justify anything. He only wanted to save them.

[Perfect Adaptability has activated.]

If it weren't for the trait, Atlas' reaction surely would have been more extreme. It calmed his mind and allowed him to think logically about the entire situation. He could focus on saving his comrades rather than moping about what happened to him.

'I truly am thankful for this Trait.'

In the very depths of his mind, Atlas could still feel the emotions that it was suppressing. The absolute rage and killing intent buried there were not things that could be easily revealed to the world.

But, that wasn't to say Atlas was completely calm.

'I was too negligent.'

He was too focused on hiding his power and finding the secrets behind his past. He had been climbing the Tower quietly without caring much about its happenings.

If he had properly digested the information available to him, he would have been able to predict what happened today. If he just had the foreknowledge, he could have done something about it.

"Haa…"

Atlas didn't take the time to look at his surroundings. He didn't plan to stay on Minora for long, nor did he plan to chase after Horgen.

All of his thoughts were in "coulds" and "woulds." It disgusted him that he could only think about how he would have done things better in other prospective futures.

'None of those realities are true. They are only excuses.'

He wasn't going to make any excuses.

'First things first, I have to visit Vanatos.'

He had to make sure with his own body that Alaric didn't do something stupid.

Once that was taken care of, he could focus on everything else.

It was a short trip. This time, Atlas didn't plan to stay at all. He only went to see Alaric and left immediately after their conversation.

"Let me take care of it."

After explaining what happened, this was what Atlas said. The moment he heard the news, Alaric's aura exploded, but Atlas stood his ground and continued.

"You probably already know what their goal is. Instead of raging and going wild, focus on taking care of the overarching issue. I can rescue Artemia. She's my friend as well. Meanwhile, you focus on what only you can do."

Nobody else could properly suppress the Cosmic Dragons and punish them for their foolishness. For such a thing to happen, Alaric first had to properly use the forces of Divine Sanctuary to find out what their plans were.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Atlas believed in himself. He didn't know where his friends were or what was happening to them, but he believed that he could save them as long as he tried.

He wanted to take this role so that the stronger people he knew could focus on the stronger people they were facing.

It took time for Alaric to calm down. He looked at Atlas with eyes colder than he'd ever seen from the old man.

"Can you do it?"

He asked mainly just to ask, because the moment he looked in Atlas' eyes and saw the same look that was present in his own, he already knew the answer.

That was why Atlas didn't respond. They were both suppressing the urge to slaughter anybody and everybody who was involved. They needed to act properly in this situation.

The atmosphere was cold. The weather was the same. It was winter in Vanatos, so most of the lakes and rivers had frozen over.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky. It was a cloudless night, so it could be seen perfectly. The last time Atlas saw it, it was a terrifying crimson monster, but it was beautiful now.

The only thing inhibiting his view of it was the snow gently falling from the sky.

Atlas had already left the Tatsuya Clan's palace. He was strolling through the fields, taking some time to himself before leaving the realm.

It was absolutely silent. Not even the chirping of cicadas danced through the night, leaving nothing between Atlas and his thoughts.

He was forced to face those things directly.

His emotions in this moment were vague. He didn't know how to respond to the sudden changes he'd experienced. He was feeling several negative things all at once that were only being kept at bay by his desire to save his friends.

But…

'...it feels so far away.'

At the same time, it didn't feel real. It felt as if that emotion was a lie, only existing because he was trying to convince himself otherwise.

'Is there something wrong with me?'

The concerns he'd held for some time returned.

'I'll have to go far deeper into this world for this.'

The reason why everything was coming back to him was exactly that.

'I have been keeping myself disconnected from this world because it is not mine. This is a time after my own, a time when I do not exist. I was remaining a stranger to this world because this world is a stranger to me, however…'

The moment he stopped treating it like it didn't belong, the world would stop refusing him as well.

When the world stopped refusing him…

'...the things I don't want to know will find me.'

"Huu…"

It was a shame that Atlas couldn't thoroughly enjoy this beautiful night. Its cold and refined wonder could only be enjoyed by someone who was more connected to their emotions than he was.

For him, this was not the stage that meant something.

What Atlas learned from this experience was that he could not hide anymore. He could not remain disconnected and he could not stay hidden. He had to start revealing himself to the world so the world would reveal itself to him.

Finding Horus and Artemia was the top priority, of course.

But there was something else about this journey.

Perhaps after this, nobody in the Tower would be able to ignore the name "Atlas Vaun."