Prince of The Abyss

Atlas paled completely as if all the blood in his body had just evaporated in thin air.

Aether laughed, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes.

The boy stood frozen for a second before finally opening his mouth to speak. "You mean... that you were the Leader of the Second Rebellion?"

Aether tilted his head; was he really asking that question? He knew from Maeve that not all people knew how he looked, but still, he was the second Withered person he met, and he didn’t remember his face.

’I mean, back in the days of the Withered, I had people come to be and even call me by my name. I’ve really lost all my relevance, huh?’

Aether cleared his throat, smiling at the boy. "That’s right, the one and only. So you don’t need to act so formal with me; we are both from the Withered, lived through the same hardship."

Atlas seemed to calm down, as his body relaxed from its stiff state, and he stopped clenching his hands. Sighing, he looked back at Aether, now with a more normal smile, not one put there just to not get his customer mad.

After all, how he saw it, Aether wasn’t just another person; for him to talk and spend time with another person from the Withered, it meant a lot.

It was someone who wouldn’t make fun of him, someone who wouldn’t mock him just because of the place he was born. He could finally be more relaxed around someone, since he knew he understood him.

"So um, what did you want to talk about?" He asked in a more friendly voice, rather than formal.

"Are you a Seeker?" Aether quickly got to the point now that the boy trusted him and was more relaxed.

Atlas’ eyes widened for a bit before smiling. "I am actually. After getting to the Blue Rose, the Smith helped me, but I don’t know how to fight if that was what you were referring to. I didn’t really do anything. I almost died in my trial even, and it was the easiest difficulty"

Aether nodded, happy with his answer. Crossing his arms, he continued. "Do you have an Anchor?"

Atlas scratched his cheek with his hand. "I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never challenged a story inside the Wonderland, so I don’t have any idea what it’s like, or how these Anchors work."

Aether smiled, relieved. "Then I’ll get to the point...

There will be a Third Rebellion, and the last. But I know I have to get stronger to have a chance... and until then, I wanted to still bring some kind of change to the Withered... by helping them fight back. But the thing is that few have the conviction... I want to build an anchor for the Withered, and spread the word about it."

...

"That way the ones that still have hope have something to go after, to chase, and that finally convinces them to try."

Looking at Atlas’ shocked face, he knew he didn’t understand just what his part was in all this. After all, he was just another relic maker, someone who didn’t have that much experience and had no idea how to fight. So how could he ever help him?

"Once the others see that more people have started to challenge books and get stronger, maybe even reach the class of Seeker, they will start trying themselves. At that time, I do want to find someone to help them, someone or more who know how to fight and to teach, maybe one of the early people who chose the path. But that will have to wait."

...

Aether smiled. "I want you to be one of the first people who joined me, to use your talent for the Withered, and maybe even become a fighter yourself. My anchor, while not the best, can help you train. And I can be your teacher if you wish."

Aether let the boy think, not saying anything else after that. After all, he had dropped a bombshell on him all of a sudden; he could have never imagined being told this today, but he knew that inside his heart, a part of him was ecstatic.

"...I." He looked at the ground, clenching his fist, before looking back, straight into his eyes. "I’ll try... as much as I doubt I can help, I will try."

Aether chuckled, happy with his reaction. He patted his shoulder. "That’s it! That’s the spirit."

He backed away a bit, still smiling. "I will open my Anchor to you if you wish to come and train. It will be there for you. And while I might not personally visit you that much, if you ever need something..."

Inky suddenly emerged from his shoulder. "I’ll send this guy every two days in the afternoon in case you have a message." He said, scratching the spot under the bird’s head.

Atlas clenched his fist, nodding.

As Aether turned away, waving goodbye, he stopped him to ask one last thing. "What are you going to do now?" Aether turned his head towards the boy, a smirk on his face. "Just the usual, I have an Academic life... and a Tournament to win."

And to be truthful... that was the only thing he had planned for now. Until Maeve got back, and until Atlas asked for something, or needed his help, he was going to be stuck with just doing his academics... ’I can’t wait...’ He sighed.

...

’I have to say, I’m not sure how long I will stay in the Academy... It’s not that it’s not helpful; even the classes help slightly, and in the practice season I have to team up with others, which makes my personal life easier... but at the same time, I feel like I don’t have any freedom over my own progression...’

If he had to estimate how much longer he was going to be in here... he didn’t think he was going to reach the next summer in this place.

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