Level Up: Voidwalker

When the seven women finished greeting Atlas, his face was bright red and hair was a mess, which made them all laugh. Once that was over with, he summoned Raymond and all climbed on the Stormeagles' back.

He got comfortable just before Amethyst clung to his arm as the monster flew back to his father's manor. A while later, they passed over Thalassia's walls, and Estelle pointed out the place they needed to go.

Atlas spotted a massive manor that was situated just outside the city, but circled with a mighty wall that prevent the Achaemenids from destroying his family home. Raymond quickly descended to the garden where the guards swarmed the area.

The soldiers were shouting out orders, but the Stormeagle let out a loud screech and was ready to attack. Following that, Eldric and a woman that he recognized as his adoptive mother Eveline.

He jumped off Raymond's back alongside the women before he returned to the Otherworld, which shocked the surrounding soldiers. The duke stepped forward and waved away his guard. ''Get back to your posts. This is my son who vanished years ago.''

When the men and women heard this, they glanced at Atlas with wide eyes. Shortly after that, they returned to duty as Eldric approached him and hugged him with a joyful expression, ''It's good to see you again my boy, thank you for helping us.''

''That's okay, but there's something I think you should know before this goes further,'' Atlas commented.

This caused the older man and woman to be looked worried, but Eldric quickly responded, ''Come inside and sit down. I'm sure you all want something hot to drink, as it's getting colder.''

Following that, the older couple led inside them as Evelina kept glancing back at him but restrained herself. Five minutes later, they arrived in a comfortable-looking room and Eldric motioned for everyone to sit down.

''Now, what is it that you believe I should know?'' the duke asked, his expression cautious, his eyes narrowing slightly as he awaited the response.

Atlas breathed in while thinking to himself, 'It's best if I told the truth. There's no point in hiding it.'

Seconds later, he just came out with it, ''The Atlas you knew died back on Echo Isle where I woke up as the goddess sent me here. I woke up in his body and have been trying to survive ever since. I'm sorry for your loss, but if my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can leave Astoria and wouldn't return.''

When Eldric and Evelina heard this, their eyes got wet as the older blonde woman started crying, causing the man to hug her. He turned his eyes toward him and asked, ''So you're not Atlas?''@@novelbin@@

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He shrugged when hearing this. ''We shared the same name but I'm me. Your son is living a new life just like I am. Hopefully, he doesn't end up in the same orphanage as I was. It was horrible there.''

After Atlas finished speaking, Eveline looked at him through green eyes and questioned, ''You came from one?''

''Unfortunately yes, my mother gather me away when I was younger, and ended up alone until I passed away,'' he revealed.

Eldric was silent but Eveline continued, ''How did you die?''

''I saved another child at the orphanage from a metal carriage. It hit me instead of her,'' he answered, his voice steady despite the nervous energy bubbling beneath the surface.

He shifted awkwardly, unsure of how to continue. He had never known the warmth of a family since he was five, and now, faced with this couple, he couldn't understand why their acceptance mattered so much.

Yet the thought of rejection from them made his chest tighten in a way he wasn't prepared for. While this happened, Amethyst grabbed his hand in silent support as Estelle rubbed his back with a love-filled smile.

Eldric suddenly looked at the phoenix girl, ''I can see you care a great deal about him. Tell me why?''

Amethyst looked shocked but shook her head before answering. ''He saved me from slavers and has been there ever since. I've seen him help people and beat back the empire's invasion in the north.''

''He's a caring young man who goes out of his way to help people,'' Artemis added with a small smile. ''Plus, he likes to pamper us.''

Eveline giggled when hearing this, but Grishna was next to speak with so much pride that it shocked Atlas, ''Our husband is extremely strong and can single handily fend off an Achaemenid army.''

The others agreed, as Nulia was the next to add something. ''He respects each one of us, unlike most men now days.''

''He's my master and I love him!'' Lilith exclaimed in an excited tone as she transformed into her Honey Badger form before climbing into his shirt.

Atlas chuckled while stroking her head. ''I met Lilith here many years ago. I was using her cave for shelter during a storm and we ended up fighting for hours.''

When Eldric and Eveline heard this, their eyes widened as the older man questioned, ''How did you both end up as lovers?''

Everyone chuckled but Estelle answered, ''Let's just say the two of them have loved each other for years now. Only recently they are acting on it.''

Atlas felt his cheeks grow warm as Eldric looked at him with a chuckle. ''I see you get embarrassed, just like him.''

He was just about to reply to the older man, but Eveline jumped up, which shocked everyone as she exclaimed, ''He's our son, Eldric! I don't care about what happened. We got our boy back!''

The blonde woman circled the table, her movements slow but deliberate, until she stood in front of Atlas. With trembling hands, she pulled him gently to his feet, tears streaming down her face.

Her voice quivered as she asked, ''Do you want parents who will love you?''

Atlas froze, the words piercing through the meticulously guarded walls around his heart. His emotions churned violently, a storm of hope and fear colliding. This was all he had ever wanted, since the day his mother had abandoned him, leaving him alone in the world.

He avoided Eveline's gaze, his shoulders hunching as if bracing for rejection. In a voice barely above a whisper, raw and cracked with pain, he asked, ''Will you throw me away like she did?''

The room fell into a stunned silence. The weight of his words hung heavy, and the pain in his voice was unbearable. Amethyst's composure shattered; she buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

Even Zena, usually the quietest and most stoic of the group, felt her throat tighten as the heartbreak in his voice reached her. Each of the women was reminded of the fragile, wounded soul beneath Atlas's strong exterior, and it was almost too much to bear.

The older woman's heart ached as she looked into his eyes, seeing the deep, unhealed scars left by a lifetime of rejection and abandonment. She placed trembling hands on his shoulders, gently forcing him to meet her gaze.

Tears streamed down her face, her voice breaking as she spoke. ''Atlas,'' she began, her words shaky but resolute, ''I swear on the gods themselves that I will never throw you away like that horrible woman. Never.''

Her grip on his shoulders tightened, as if she could anchor him to her promise. ''You're not some burden or mistake. You are a gift, and I will love you as a mother should, with all my heart, every day, for as long as I live.''

Eveline's voice cracked with emotion, but she pushed through, the words spilling from her like a desperate prayer. ''I don't care what pain you've been through, what darkness you carry. You are my son now, Atlas. Our son. And I will fight the gods or anyone else if they ever try to take you away from me.''

Atlas stood frozen, his mind overwhelmed by her words. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. No one had ever spoken to him like this, not since he was a small boy, clinging to a fleeting memory of love.

His lips trembled, but he couldn't form words. Eveline reached up and cupped his face, her thumbs brushing away the tears that now rolled freely down his cheeks. ''There's no don't have to be afraid anymore,'' she whispered in a motherly voice. ''You're home and loved.''

At that moment, the room seemed to shrink around them; the world falling silent as Atlas crumbled into her embrace. Eveline wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him as he sobbed into her shoulder, years of pain and longing pouring out in a torrent.

The others watched in silence, tears streaking their faces. Even the gods, it seemed, would weep at the sight of a broken boy finally being told he was wanted. Eldric stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder, ''If the rumors are true then any father would be proud to call you their soon Azhar'Zul.''

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