As soon as the imposing double doors of the Raven hall swung open, as if flipping a switch, the entire hall suddenly fell into a pin drop silence.
There was no announcement, no heads up for their arrival, but the sheer pressure that oozed out of Magnus's presence was enough for everyone to turn silent and shut up.
Magnus took a step forward, his aura immediately enveloping the entire hall. It was a wordless command, and without hesitation, every person in the hall, from trainees to branch heads, stood up and bowed in respect and reverence. Non were an exception.
Leading the way, Magnus and Freya took their positions at the front, while Avalon and Anastasia followed directly behind them. Atticus, Ember, Caldor, and Aurora walked closely behind the four.
As they were walking, Atticus couldn't help but notice that nearly every pair of eyes in the hall were focused on him. It felt as if invisible needles were pricking him from all directions. It was annoying.
While everyone was outwardly showing their respect and reverence for Magnus and the main family, their attention was fixated on Atticus, as if they were trying to unravel all of his secrets.
Anastasia and Avalon, of course, noticed the stares and attention that Atticus was receiving, but they both ignored it.
They had already anticipated that this would happen. Learning of a child that could defeat an expert rank while still being in the intermediate- rank was obviously going to make people curious.
After everything Atticus had achieved in the Raven camp, this level of attention was only to be expected.
Anastasia had already made up her mind to shield Atticus in case anything went awry. The unwavering attention from the hall's attendees were like a swarm of probing eyes, and she was ready to protect her son.
Feeling all the stares in the hall on him, Atticus had already figured out what they were all trying to do. Sure, most of them were curious about the child who defeated an expert rank, but not all of them were like that.
There were those who had already assumed that the main family didn't have any mind blowing talents in this generation and were already planning and hoping their children would at least have a shot at being the family's heir.
These particular people obviously weren't happy to find out about Atticus's exploits during the attack on the Raven camp. From these people's gazes, Atticus could feel a certain amount of pressure.
It was obvious what they were all trying to do: intimidate him. Despite the fact that Atticus was still a 10 year old child, it would be a blow to his reputation and even the main family's if their heir were to falter here.
One would think that doing that to Atticus in the presence of Magnus would be taken as a sign of disrespect, but they all had the guts to do this exactly because they knew Magnus's character.
They basically knew how he thought—If he couldn't get past something this trivial, then he wasn't worthy to begin with.
They all knew Magnus welcomed any challenges as long as it was done fairly and without disrespecting the hierarchy.
Of course, none of those trying to pressure him were utilizing their full efforts; they all knew that if they did that, they'd have their heads rolling before they could even blink.
But despite them not using their full effort, the pressure they were currently focusing on Atticus wasn't something an intermediate- rank should be able to handle.
Avalon swiftly held Anastasia's hand, immediately stopping her from shielding Atticus with her aura.
She turned her gaze towards him, her face filled with questions, but Avalon didn't even turn to look at her; his gaze was forward as he continued walking.
His intention was clear: don't interfere.
With a reluctant thought, Anastasia begrudgingly complied, turning her gaze forward, but she still kept an eye on Atticus.
Regardless of whatever happens, she would intervene if she sees any signs of discomfort on Atticus.
Meanwhile, comprehending what they were each trying to do in a second, Atticus chuckled inwardly.
'I really don't have time for this, I should be training,' he thought. Atticus truly saw all of this as a huge waste of time.
This valuable time he was currently wasting could be well spent on training, but instead, he was here dealing with these bunch of fools.
But regardless, Atticus knew that showing weakness for even a single second was stupid. And Atticus wasn't stupid.
Sending a gaze towards Magnus, his intelligence and perception operated at full speed as he captured every nuance of Magnus's movement – his stride, posture, the aura of unshakable authority he exuded.
It was as if he dissected the very essence of Magnus's demeanor.
Then, with a spine as straight as a ruler, his chest pushed forward, and his eyes fixed firmly ahead, Atticus's demeanor suddenly changed.
He took a step forward, and then another step, and then another, every single step taken in tandem with Magnus, his form oozing with the same unflinching confidence Magnus had, each step seemingly taken as if taken by a king.
The eyes of those both simply curious and those trying to pressure him all widened in shock.
This confidence… it was palpable.
Everyone watching Atticus all seemed to see the form of Magnus as Atticus was walking. It was as if there were two paragons currently walking.
Seeing this kind of confidence come from a 10 year old child was shocking, to say the least.
Seeing this, Magnus's lips seemed to curl up a little bit before it immediately shifted back to its neutral state, the change so fast that no one in the hall was able to catch it.
While, Anastasia who was paying close attention to Atticus, ready to react to any development was shocked. Was this really her baby? Where did such confidence come from?
The hall was completely silent, and the only sound that echoed was the rhythmic cadence of their footsteps.
