Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

"But we have those brave soldiers handling them," Nathan said, gesturing to the armored warriors below. The voidling army had been decimated.

"This is for a good cause! And each world will select one team to represent them. I was thinking the Ravensteins should join. It'd be the perfect chance to show their might!"

'This fat bastard,' Sirius thought bitterly. Nathan had found his weak spot.

"You know I'm sensitive about that."

As the former leader of the Raven Vanguard back when the human domain was whole and sector three belonged to the Ravensteins, Sirius still missed the prestige and honor of the Ravenstein name.

These days, it was Atticus who carried weight, not Ravenstein.

"Ahem, I hadn't the faintest idea," Nathan coughed.

"So? What do you think? Just a few worlds, all under mana contracts. No risk to the city's safety."

Sirius didn't like the thought of inviting outsiders into the city, but he couldn't deny the appeal of reviving the Ravenstein name. He sighed.

"Have you informed Oberon?"

"Yes. He said to go ahead if you agree."

After a pause, Sirius nodded. "Alright. Let's do it."

"Thank you… old friend!"

Before Sirius could reply, Nathan melted back into the ground.

Sirius stood atop the wall, shaking his head.

"Let's hope nothing goes wrong with this."

…

A week passed.

During this week, most parts of the world were bustling with activity. Receiving the go ahead from Sirius, Nathan had begun the preparations for the tournament between different worlds.

After countless deliberations, which mostly consisted of Sirius shutting down almost everything Nathan brought up, they eventually decided on the participants of the event.

"Sirius, my friend! Are you sure about this? We have so much to gain from them…"

"Absolutely not. We have no idea what to expect. Does a mana contract even work on them? You're not including them."

Nathan deflated like a balloon after his motion was shut down. He had wanted to include the people of Nerrot's world in the event.

"Ugh. I still can't believe you would agree to this foolishness, Sirius."

"Ahem."

Sirius cleared his throat, avoiding Lyanna's glare. It went without saying that she didn't take the news of the upcoming event well.

Unlike Sirius, Lyanna had never stopped her job, infiltration and information gathering. Though Atticus never truly needed them, it was what kept her sane in this boring world.

Still, this would be the first time they would invite people from other worlds into the city, and this, during a crisis.

During the meeting, they eventually decided to hold the competition with only the worlds absorbed from the lower planes.

Words were sent out to the different regions. None of them could refuse, and shortly after, smaller competitions were held in their regions to determine the group that would represent each world.

…

The eve before the day of the event, four figures covered from head to toe in cloaks gathered in a small room.

The air was tense and the mood heavy, yet there was nothing but silence. They rested on the walls in different parts of the room as though waiting for something.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait long. A burst of light suddenly lit up in the middle of the room, drawing their eyes immediately.

Three figures appeared from the light, and the room grew still.

All eyes focused on the figures.

They were clad in normal attire, none wearing masks. Yet, no matter how much they tried, none of them could see through their appearance.

To the others, the three appeared like black blur figures, the only hint of light the red glow pulsing from their backs in tandem with their weapons.

For a moment, there was utter silence. The four stared at the three with tense eyes.

"Hmm. It is to our gratitude that you all showed up. Welcome." The three spoke in a unified voice.

The four gave tense nods, then one of them spoke up.

"Is it true what you claim? You can get rid of this bind?"

"We do not lie, nor have we ever."

"Still, we can't let you do that," one of the four said in a gruff voice. He leaned off the wall, his eyes lighting up through his cloak.

"Our mana contract forbids any act of betrayal. That includes this meeting. The only reason I came here was to see the fool stupid enough to do this."

He grabbed the large broadsword behind his back, and the air in the room grew heavy. The others had also begun stepping toward the three with cold eyes.

"As much as it pains me, I have to kill you now—"

"We never said your permission was needed."

The three raised their arms in unison, and a deep crimson light burst from them, spreading across the room and engulfing the four before they could react.

The four shot back, creating distance.

"You! What did you do!"

As the man drew his broadsword and moved to attack, one of the four stopped him.

"Wait! Check yourself."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Think about slaughtering the Eldorians," another said in a cold, feminine voice.

With narrowed eyes, the man did as he was told and experienced an intense wave of shock.

'What is this?'

Usually, due to the mana contract binding them, just thoughts about betraying the people of Eldoralth would send a jolt of pain surging through him. However, despite thinking about their destruction, nothing happened…

The four figures gulped.

'Who are they?'

The power to easily nullify a mana contract seemed ludicrous.

"Who are you?"

"Our identity is meaningless. What you should focus on is what you stand to gain."

"In my experience, nothing is ever given freely. What do you want?"

The three smiled in unison, white teeth glinting through their blurry darkness.

"What we want is simple: chaos."

…

The day of the event arrived swiftly.

And for the first time since the birth of the new Eldoralth, the city bore witness to a procession of visitors from other worlds.