Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1671  Sibling

"Mom… you're pregnant."

Those three words ended the entire banquet.

In a space filled with beings of great power, no matter how low his voice had been, there was no one who hadn't heard it.

People froze mid-speech. Booming laughter died out. The enchanting music cut off instantly.

All eyes turned toward the duo, gazes wide.

Pregnant?

Even Anastasia looked flustered, blinking rapidly.

"W-what are you talking about? Pregnant? I'm not—"

"Trust me."

Atticus met her gaze with a steady look. The moment Anastasia saw the seriousness in his eyes, her own widened.

"…I'm… pregnant?"

Avalon stepped forward and gently steadied his shaken wife.

"Let's head home."

…

Moments later, the entire family appeared in the mansion on the hill. They gathered around Anastasia as Avalon calmly examined her body.

"…it's faint but… it's there." Avalon finally said, drawing looks of surprise from everyone.

"But… I didn't feel anything…"

"It's still extremely early. You probably just got pregnant. If I didn't know what to look for, I would've missed it too."

Avalon shot Atticus a glance, once again reminded that he wasn't a normal boy.

"So… I'm pregnant."

The whole house dropped silent, all eyes on Anastasia. None were sure whether to celebrate or mourn. Matters like this usually depended on the mother, whether it was expected or not. Either she would break into joy, or into tears. Either way, they would know soon enough.

"…honey… I'm pregnant."

Tears suddenly slipped down Anastasia's cheeks. The expressions of everyone dimmed at once, a quiet sadness settling over them.

"…finally…"

As Anastasia suddenly jumped up and threw her arms around Avalon, the room froze. Everyone exchanged glances, as though trying to make sense of what they were seeing. She was crying… and then jumping… what were they supposed to do!?

"Tears of joy," Ember said matter-of-factly, earning an "oh" from the others. Instantly, smiles spread across the room as they moved in, joining the embrace and offering their congratulations.

"Finally… finally."

As Anastasia kept repeating the words, Ozeroth suddenly stepped toward Atticus.

"Hmph. Since it's good news, I'll lift your punishment. You're invited to my banquet."

"…what?"

Atticus was speechless. A banquet… now…? Why the hell would he want to go to any banquet?

Seeing Ozeroth's expression begin to twist, he cleared his throat.

"…thanks."

"You should be grateful. Especially for what I'm about to do."

Ozeroth smiled broadly, folding his arms.

"I'll teach you."

"…teach me what?"

"What else? How to be a great elder brother. Learn from me." Ozeroth said. "You've seen how Ozerra is with me, haven't you? Always by my side, always following me around. That's admiration. If you want that, you'll need guidance. My guidance."

"…."

Atticus swept a glance around the room, then looked back at him.

"…where is Ozerra?"

"What? She's right her—"

Ozeroth turned to his side, then froze. He blinked, glanced around the house, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"…"

"…"

They stared at each other in silence. Then Ozeroth coughed.

"…I'll be going."

He shamelessly vanished, leaving Atticus behind. Shaking his head, Atticus turned to his mother. She was still shedding tears of joy as she clung to Avalon, the latter looking no better, his composure barely holding.

He watched them for a moment, then turned and stepped out of the mansion. As he left, Atticus just… walked.

 He had nowhere in mind. Only that he needed to obvious his head, and walking felt like the best option right now.

He could still remember the feeling of a second life within his mother. What it meant.

'A sister.'

He was going to have a sister. A new family member… coming into all this?

Atticus wasn't sure how he felt about it.

The world was riddled with chaos. Death. Countless enemies were after them. The next day was never certain. With everything currently happening, it was the worst time for any child to be born.

The image of his mother's bright, tearful smile surfaced in his mind, and Atticus exhaled softly.

The thought of having an actual sibling… thrilled him, he wouldn't deny it. Atticus had never had a sibling before. Though he was close with Caldor and Ember, this felt… different. She hadn't even been born yet, and he already felt connected to her in some way.

Atticus slowly curled his fists.

'She's coming.'

A heavy weight settled over his shoulders. Despite his uncertainty, she was still going to be born. And it would be up to him… to keep her safe.

He abruptly turned, lifting his gaze to the sky.

"I'm ready."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the air before him warped, and a figure advanced out from the distortion.

It was a small, furry creature, its head noticeably larger than its body. Its large eyes fixed on him, sharp and utterly unamused.

"You called."

"…this is your true form?"

Atticus stared at the eternal span, momentarily at a loss for words.

The creature tilted its head, eyes narrowing slightly.

"You say that like there's a problem."

"…no. There's nothing."

Atticus couldn't help but recall the oppressive form of the Great Verge. Compared to that, the span was… well, this.

The span held his gaze without blinking for a few moments, then gave a faint, unimpressed shake of its head.

"Let's make this quick. Your face annoys me."

Atticus gave a small nod, straightening.

"My favor from the Resource Wars. I'm here to collect."

The favour Atticus had asked of the span had been simple, the span would give him every piece of information it had about the Crown when he asked for it.

The eternal span frowned.

"…are you sure? You could wait a few centuries—"

"I'm sure."

The span's gaze sharpened, and it let out a low scoff.

"…fine. Suit yourself."

It folded its arms.

"So. What do you want?"

"How do I enter the Crown?"

Though he had asked Whisker before, the man had claimed that the method of entry was something kept from everyone except the ascending god.

However, with his sister coming, Atticus needed to be certain about everything before deciding to commit.

"…that, I can't tell you."

"The—"

"However…" the span cut in, eyeing him coldly, as though warning him not to interrupt.

"…what I can tell you is this. Only gods can enter the Crown."