Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Atticus grinned again, displaying yellow teeth. “You don’t need to introduce yourself, Lady Zoey. There’s no way I wouldn’t know everything about a woman as beautiful as yourself. Please, have a seat.”

‘Shit.’ Zoey cursed internally. She had hoped the person she was meeting would at least have some class, maybe comment on her unkempt appearance. But no. Just another creep who probably wouldn’t mind if she showed up covered in sewage.

She lowered herself into the chair and endured what would go down as one of the most annoying meetings of her life.

Throughout the conversation, Atticus kept emphasizing that he was the current heir to the Ravenstein family. He boasted of his status, of how their union would benefit both families. On and on it went.

By the time the meeting ended, an hour later, Zoey felt completely drained.

‘I really need to find a way to put an end to these setups.’

Still, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling that lingered in her chest.

That name… Atticus Ravenstein.

She felt like it carried weight. Power. Grandeur. The kind that could shake worlds.

Hearing it brought butterflies to her stomach. Determination to her heart. Now… it brought only a deep, nagging ache.

The thought of associating that name with the buffoon she had just met felt wrong. Entirely wrong.

“What do you think?” Zoey asked Yoma.

“I don’t know why you feel that way,” Yoma answered immediately, “but don’t forget, your mother made you study the heirs of the other tier-one families. The Ravenstein heir has always been considered a waste. His mother didn’t let him learn to fight until much later, and by then, he was already spoiled. Didn’t care about strength. He’s known for using his influence to take advantage of others. He’s not exactly well-liked among the elite.”

Zoey said nothing. It all sounded off.

Was that really the Atticus Ravenstein?

She shook her head. This whole situation was going to drive her mad. She headed back to her room to freshen up before handling the rest of her day.

The hours passed quickly, and by sundown, the sky was streaked orange across the horizon. Zoey walked through an open pathway, intending to return to her room.

‘It’s still there…’

Despite keeping herself busy, she couldn’t shake the feeling in her chest. Nostalgia clung to her like a second skin. Even something as insignificant as pure white paper gave her a sharp, inexplicable ache.

She couldn’t understand it.

“You’ve been working hard lately. Maybe you just need some sleep,” Yoma offered.

Zoey nodded and quickened her pace, but paused when her eyes caught a figure ahead.

Aunt Jeneva.

“You’re not going to bed without telling your aunty goodnight, are you?”

Zoey smiled. The ache in her chest began to fade, until a voice whispered into her ear.

“Zoey…”

Her entire body froze.

“W-What…”

The voice was familiar. Incredibly familiar. Petite. Warm. Like someone who had always been there, whispering comfort into her soul.

She looked around. Nothing.

“Zoey?” Jeneva called, taking a step toward her.

But Zoey didn’t turn to her. A heavy wrongness settled deep in her gut. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t right. A shadow flitted across her vision, and she spun around.

Nothing. Just a vast green field with guards pacing the mansion grounds.

‘Where are you?’

She turned again, and caught it.

A shadow slipping between two buildings behind her.

Zoey’s feet moved before her thoughts could catch up. She lunged forward and entered the narrow space.

But her eyes widened.

‘Nothing.’

It was a dead end. No one was there.

She scanned the area once more. Had she seen wrong?

“Zoey!”

Jeneva ran into the narrow space, eyes filled with concern as they landed on her niece. “Are you okay?”

“Em… I’m fine, Aunt,” Zoey said, turning to face her. “I thought I saw something for a moment.”

But Jeneva didn’t look convinced. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized Zoey again, just to be sure.

Yoma’s voice echoed in Zoey’s head, sounding worried. She could feel her spirit’s bond trembling slightly. Still, Zoey kept reassuring both of them.

“I’m fine,” she said again, this time with a small smile. “Really.”

“Let’s head back to your room, Zo,” Jeneva said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You should get some sleep.”

Zoey nodded. But just as she was about to take a step forward… she stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Jeneva asked.

Zoey didn’t respond immediately. She took a deep breath.

She had always been indecisive. Always unsure of what she truly wanted. Surrounded by people who seemed so sure of themselves, and yet… she never quite fit. This moment was no different.

‘Everything is peaceful. Everything is fine. So why does it feel like I’m standing in the middle of a lie?’

She had been thinking this all day. And yet, she kept pushing it aside.

But not anymore.

‘I need to stop being indecisive.’

“Zoey?” Jeneva called again.

Zoey slowly turned to her. “Aunty Jeneva,” she said softly. “I’d like to ask you a question.”

Jeneva blinked, caught off guard by the seriousness in her tone. She nodded for her to continue.

Zoey looked her dead in the eyes.

“Everything seems peaceful and perfect. There’s no war. No problems. Everything is just… normal. But something keeps telling me I’m ignoring something. Forgetting something. And I’m scared that if I go chasing after it… I’ll lose all of this. This peace.

“Aunty Jeneva, what do you think I should do?”

Jeneva stared at her in silence for a moment, then smiled warmly. She placed both hands gently on Zoey’s shoulders and looked her in the eye.

“If everything is peaceful and perfect… then why break it?”

Zoey’s heart… shattered.

Tears burst from her eyes in heavy drops. Her breath froze in her throat as she stared at the woman before her.

“Zoey? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Jeneva’s voice rang out in concern, but Zoey wasn’t listening. No… she couldn’t listen.

Her aunt Jeneva… would never say that.

She had always been the one to question everything. To challenge anything that stood in her way. The type to burn down a perfect world if her instincts said it was fake.

This wasn’t her.

“Y-You’re not real…”

Jeneva’s eyes darkened. Her smile stretched unnaturally as she let out a soft laugh. “A-What are you talking about, Zo? I’m your favorite aunt, remember?”

But Zoey wasn’t hearing her anymore.

She clenched her fists tight. Yoma’s voice tried to soothe her in her mind, repeating that everything was okay. That she was overthinking it.

But Zoey ignored them all.

‘This world is not real.’

She closed her eyes and turned inward, deep into herself. And then, she whispered the words that shattered everything.

“I want out.”

The world around her cracked like glass under pressure.

Jeneva’s voice vanished. Yoma’s presence disappeared.

Darkness consumed it all.

And then… silence.

Zoey stood alone in an endless void, her breath sharp and body tense. In front of her floated a small, petite spirit, limbs held up by glowing chains that wrapped tightly around her.

The spirit looked up, her face tired but smiling.

“It took you long enough… Zoey.”

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