Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1175: Wrong

In the wrecked human domain, where a purple haired girl lay unmoving inside a glowing purple dome, another figure materialized several meters away, striding swiftly toward her.

It was Ozeroth. Or at least, a clone of him.

He had made a decision, the only viable path left was to stop the Spirit King through Zoey. Somehow.

'Bond, you really should be here.'

He knew Atticus. Knew how much the boy cared about her. And now, that same girl was being used as a puppet for the Spirit King.

'She won't last this way.'

Zoey was running on borrowed time. Talented or not, her body was far too weak to handle the magnitude of energy being funneled through it.

If things kept going at this pace, her body would collapse. Implode, even. And it would occur very soon.

And the Spirit King had to know about this. That was likely why he was trying to wrap things up quickly, before his fuel source gave out.

'Knocking her out should do the trick.'

In honor of Atticus, and the fact that she was innocent, Ozeroth didn't want to end her life. No, just like with Atticus, the energy link needed her to be conscious and focused. Interrupt that, and the flow would falter.

'She's probably being brainwashed. Or… maybe her spirit is.'

That was the only explanation for her stillness and her unnatural focus despite her state.

'Shutting her down should be enough.'

Ozeroth drew back his arm, preparing to punch through the dome, when a burst of blinding light flared beside him. His eyes snapped toward it, and his expression darkened.

"How predictable."

The Spirit King's cold voice echoed out, low and emotionless.

Ozeroth tensed.

'It's not him.'

The real king was still chasing the real Ozeroth. Which could only mean one thing…

'A clone.'

The Spirit King had anticipated this play… and countered with one of his own.

"WorldStep."

Ozeroth's expression twisted as the Spirit King's form shimmered, vanishing in a flash, only to reappear directly in front of him.

A second later, they collided, their clash sending a concussive wave ripping through the air.

And yet, despite the violence of it all, the dome surrounding Zoey remained untouched.

While Ozeroth battled for the survival of Eldoralth, Zoey… was somewhere else entirely.

It was morning.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling softly on a girl whose beauty could spark wars. Her eyes stirred open, and she winced, instinctively shielding them with her hand.

Then suddenly, her eyes sharpened.

In one swift motion, she leapt out of bed, eyes flashing purple as she slipped into a battle stance, her senses on high alert.

But…

'This… is my room.'

There was nothing. No danger. No threats.

Just silence. A simple, quiet room.

"Did you hit your head in your dream or something?"

Zoey froze. Not because of the sudden sound, but because of who it belonged to.

Someone precious. Someone whose death had carved a hole in her heart that nothing had ever been able to fill.

She turned around slowly, and her eyes landed on a purple haired woman, standing there with a playful look, as if watching a crazy person.

"Or has my little niece gone mad?"

Zoey's lips trembled. The tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back.

"A-aunt Jereva?" she whispered.

Jereva raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Now there's my favorite niece."

"I'm your only niece," Zoey responded instinctively.

Jereva laughed. "Exactly! And you're my favorite!"

She said it with such confidence it made no sense, but that was her aunty. Always goofy.

Zoey chuckled, the sound soft but genuine. Just like she remembered.

Then Jereva leaned in, hands on her hips. "Now, little niece, what have I told you about sleeping in?"

She started, "The early—"

But Zoey cut in, "—bird gets the worm. How can you hope to achieve anything if you waste time sleeping?"

Jereva grinned. "Right. Cheesy kid. You know this, and you're still sleeping in! Now get ready. You're starting your day with a little sparring!"

But despite the stern tone, she gave Zoey a wink and a bright smile before stepping out of the room.

Zoey's lips stretched into a wide smile… but then, it hit her.

A strange feeling.

'Aren't I… supposed to be doing something?'

Everything felt just a little… off. But no matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't remember a thing.

She was the only daughter of the Starhaven Matriarch. Her beloved Aunt Jereva was alive and well. Everything was fine.

Perfect, even.

There was no war. No danger. No worry.

With those thoughts, the smile returned to Zoey's lips. She turned and walked into the bathroom, ready to freshen up and start her day.

Some minutes later, Zoey stepped out of her room, fully dressed. She wore a simple, light fitting purple gown, adorned with engravings of various spirits woven into the fabric. Her long purple hair was tied into a neat ponytail.

Zoey had always preferred simplicity. She never cared much for the attention her beauty attracted, it only brought unnecessary problems.

As she stepped into the hall, her gaze landed on the figure bowing slightly to the side.

"Young lady Zoey."

"Lucy…" Zoey paused, focusing on the maid who had served her since childhood.

'I haven't seen her in a while… no, that's not right.'

She never left the Starhaven estate, she saw Lucy every day… right?

With a small nod in greeting, Zoey walked forward, her steps echoing across the grand marble hallways. But then she stopped, eyes locking onto a familiar figure approaching from the far end.

'Mom.'

"Zoey! My beautiful girl. How was your night?"

Zoey froze.

Her mother's smile… it unsettled her. Not because it was wrong in form, but because it felt wrong.

Something heavy settled in her chest. An ache. A pain.

But even with that, a different voice within her insisted… this is normal.

"Um, it was fine, mom."

Celestial tilted her head, frowning slightly as she inspected her. "Are you sure, baby? You look… unwell."

Zoey quickly nodded.

But then her mother smiled again, that warm, radiant smile. "So what do you have planned for today?"

Zoey hesitated. "I'm… training with Aunt Jereva, mother."

"Mother?" Celestial blinked. "Why so formal? Call me mom, like always."

Then she sighed, shaking her head playfully. "And that little sister of mine, honestly, I told her to go easy on you. If she even so much as hurts a hair on your pretty little head, make sure you tell me. I'll deal with her."

Zoey nodded again, though her confusion was starting to pile.

Celestial leaned in, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and left.

Zoey stood still.

Something was gnawing at her. It wasn't just her mother's words, or her smile. It was everything.

'There's something wrong.'

But even as the thought hit, there was nothing she could do. So she shook her head and continued on, heading off to meet her aunt.