Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 1152

Coming out of the alleyway, Zoey glanced around, gazing at a group of dwarven men and women gathered nearby, their faces stricken with fear as they stared toward the alleyway.

As their eyes turned to her, they each bowed deeply.

"T-thank you!"

Zoey sighed softly, nodding her head. She turned to the side, looking at the dwarven boy they had just saved.

He was crying in his parents' arms, soaking their clothes with tears. But the parents weren't faring any better, loud wails escaped their mouths as they clung to their boy, unable to keep their composure while still trying to comfort him.

Zoey didn't say anything. It would be wrong to say she felt compassion. In truth, the advent of the apocalypse had taught Zoey something about herself, something that changed how she saw the world. The people.

From the outset, she had wanted to be Eldoralth's savior. She had always believed she was doing this for its people, to be the hero they needed. But only now did Zoey see the truth.

When the world was on the brink, she hadn't felt a shred of compassion. She had realized that even if they all died… she wouldn't care.

Her dream of saving Eldoralth hadn't been for them, it had always been for herself. To give her life meaning. To give herself a purpose.

'You're broken,' Zoey said to herself, shaking her head. She was a person with far more issues than she'd ever like to admit.

'Don't be too hard on yourself, Zoey,' came the petite voice of Lumindra, but Zoey wasn't having it.

She ignored the hateful looks the crowd threw toward the alleyway and broke into a sprint.

There was every likelihood that the dwarven folk would enter the alleyway to kill the unconscious youths who had bullied their kind, but she didn't care.

Her reason for stopping Aurora from killing them earlier wasn't because she cared. Quite the opposite.

If Aurora had killed those vampyros, it would have opened a Pandora's box they weren't ready to deal with.

Though hateful, they were all trapped in this domain. Starting a war in the streets, especially with Zorvan tension boiling, was nothing short of stupid.

And beyond that, the main reason she had stopped Aurora was because of a certain white-haired boy.

Going down that path, especially in rage with her mind clearly not in the right place, would do more harm than good.

Zoey caught up to the storming Aurora and Kael after a few seconds, stopping beside her.

"I'm sorry about before," she said.

Aurora paused, sending her a glare. Her body still radiated heat, still clearly pissed.

She sharply turned away, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She began walking at a slower pace, a bit more composed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Zoey smiled faintly and began walking with her. "It's fine. I unde—"

She caught herself before making the same mistake again. "I won't claim to understand what you're going through. But I want you to know, we're all going through the same."

Zoey's eyes dropped to see Aurora suddenly clenching her fists. During the apocalypse, she had come to realize that Aurora was one of the few people she could relate to. At least, the one she could see.

They both felt powerless. Both felt useless. Both wanted to be of some help to… him.

This was why they were doing this. The higher-ups only cared about the outside world, the Zorvan threat and keeping the aegis shield intact. No one was paying attention to the chaos within. The brutality.

Neither of them had the power to join the battles outside, but sitting idle wasn't an option either. That helplessness would destroy them.

That's why they were in the streets, trying their best to stop the chaos from eating them alive. Thrusting people from different societal classes into the same space was bound to end in blood.

Neither of them spoke after that.

Kael had never been one for words. He followed silently behind the two breathtaking women, but his hardened gaze and clenched fists told a different story, one that said exactly how he was feeling.

The trio continued their walk, ignoring the gloom around them.

Thirteen races living in one domain had turned many homeless. People begged for food on the streets, makeshift tents and crude living spaces now littering the paved roads that were once meant for vehicles.