Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1099 Will

After accessing the changes the dragon core had brought to his body, Atticus shifted his focus towards spiritual energy next.

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During his battle with Xal'zereth, Atticus had broken through the second fold and increased his proficiency with spiritual energy.

Though, after finding out that spiritual energy was simply a derivative of the actual energy, Will, Atticus was at a crossroads as to what he should do.

To Atticus, Will was the purest form of power. It wasn't tied to elements or techniques.

Instead, it was the essence of one's being. The force that defined identity, desire, purpose, and resolve.

Every decision, every instinct, every belief, all of it stemmed from Will. It was what made an individual who they were.

And spiritual energy was born from Will. Despite there being war and chaos in their world, the spirit race had always been a race known for their serenity and harmony. Their power reflected who they were: peaceful, tranquil, and deeply in tune with the world around them.

Because of that, their Will had naturally flowed into the world as spiritual energy.

However, this was why Atticus was at a major crossroads. The spirit race had no problems with spiritual energy because it was who they were, but what about him? Atticus was many things, but peaceful and serene just wasn't one of them.

Was this the right path for him?

As he wrestled with that question, fortunately, Ozeroth had been there to offer an

answer.

Spiritual energy, as he explained, was still a derivative of Will.

It came from the same source, the same essence.

Atticus was still using the same energy, only that it was refined and its potency was reduced to emphasize calm, serenity, and control.

But at its core, it still followed the same principles.

The First Fold was about awareness, but awareness didn't necessarily have to mean serenity.

It could be rage, grief, resolve, or even chaos, so long as it was true to the self.

The Second Fold was integration, where your Will began to influence the world.

And Ozeroth believed the same applied to the raw form of Will as it did to spiritual energy.

Only, the paths would diverge based on who you were.

From the very beginning, the most important thing had always been about channeling truth.

As they reached this level, a question struck Atticus, one that he couldn't understand. When using spiritual energy, it felt completely and utterly different compared with when he used his Will.

His Will felt like it was coming from the depths of his soul, while spiritual energy simply felt like he was manipulating some energy. The answer to that had been simple, spiritual energy from the very beginning wasn't supposed to be on the lower worlds. In the middle planes, the Wills of beings had gotten to the extent that it bled into the world, forming an energy of its own.

Then, another thought struck Atticus. A realization.

He had always wondered why spiritual energy had appeared as an element in his status page. It was supposed to be an energy source, just like mana. It was as absurd as gaining a mana element.

Atticus had really tried to understand it as it didn't make any sense at the time, but now... now that he understood the true nature of Will, the pieces began to fall into place.

The reason spiritual energy was listed as an element... was because it wasn't just an energy source.

It was a derivative of Will, and since Will was capable of shaping reality itself, its offshoots could take form and identity just like any other elemental force.

Which led to the next, even more important realization: if spiritual energy could manifest as an element because it was born from Will, then didn't that mean... he might one day be able to manipulate other derivatives of Will as well?

The thought excited Atticus. If the spirit race had Wills focusing on peace, the other races in the middle plane were sure to have different derivatives.

Still, Atticus decided to stop dwelling on the matter for now and focus on the second fold of spiritual energy.

Reaching this milestone intensified his ability to see through lies and deceit. And also, he could see through a person's soul and see any and all weaknesses in their attacks.

Aside from this, there were other abilities he could use, however, he had to reach certain conditions first.

He had to harmonize his inner and outer Wills and also be able to control spiritual energy to such a level that it repaired the world around him-such as fixing any broken object.

During the weeks that passed, Atticus had been focused on reaching this goal. He did this by undergoing long sessions of meditation, trying to deepen his awareness. Aside from training his spiritual element, Atticus had also spared some time for his soulkin. Unfortunately, there were no trainings that he could do for the beast, only to constantly remind it that he wasn't going anywhere.

He was still waiting for the egg to hatch. If there was ever a time Atticus needed all hands on deck, it was now.

Any additions to his power would be welcomed with open arms.

Still, after staring at it for some while, Atticus placed it back inside its chest and continued his business.

The last thing Atticus did was prepare the human domain for what was coming. This was done in different steps, each thinking about the areas that humanity lacked. During this process, Atticus found himself getting drained multiple times, a fact that would shock anyone who heard it.

What could he possibly be doing for someone of his caliber to get drained?

Still, Atticus didn't stop.

And after weeks of painstaking work and bone-chilling training, the day finally arrived.

Atticus hovered in the air, staring at the human domain calmly.

Below, only one word could describe the mood: dread.

For weeks, they had waited, they had dreaded.

The war that had been forecasted since the beginning, and now... it was here.