Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 1179

Zoey steadied her breath and nodded, though her eyes were bloodshot.

"After you chose to become the protector Eldoralth needed… things were going well. Until the Academy. Until… Atticus."

Zoey's hands clenched at her sides. Her breath stopped at the mention of his name.

Lumindra sighed deeply.

"When you met Atticus, even I was surprised. Despite all your hatred for men over the years, you became smitten with him. But unfortunately, it was too much for the Spirit King's liking. He saw the changes it brought in you. In that one year you spent with him, you were… happy. Truly happy."

Her voice dropped.

"You started straying from your goal. So, he acted. He decided to end that… by using me."

She looked away, shame blanketing her face.

"The bonding technique, the one the Spirit King created, it gave him control. He could manipulate the bond however he wanted. Especially since he had full control over me."

Lumindra gave a bitter smile. "He ordered me to manipulate your emotions. I tried to resist. I tried. But then I discovered something that shattered everything I believed in."

She turned fully to Zoey.

"I couldn't refuse. I couldn't go against him. He… he controlled my mind. I didn't understand how. I still don't. But I had no choice. So, I followed his order."

"When Atticus confessed to you, the only feeling that overwhelmed you… was jealousy. The Spirit King believed that by making you feel jealous, you'd push yourself harder. You'd become stronger, stronger than him."

Lumindra's gaze dimmed as sadness took over her face.

"But I saw what it did to you. I saw how broken it made you. I saw you cry at the military camp after you both spoke… and that day, I stopped. I stopped manipulating your emotions."

She paused, gathering her breath.

"By then, with the appearance of Ozeroth and the anomaly that was Atticus, the Spirit King had started shifting his plans. He stopped focusing on you… but that didn't last. Not for long."

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Eldoralth had been pushed to the brink, and he decided to use the chaos to descend. Atticus is off world now, currently in the Zorvan world. The Spirit King plans on destroying the Zorvan portal to trap him long enough to execute his plans here."

"And because you're bonded with me, you were the one with the most potential to hold spiritual energy. So… he chose you. He latched onto our bond. He forced me to trap you in that dream world… until his descent was complete."

Silence fell across the darkened space.

Zoey stood there, still. Tears streamed freely down her face. Her entire being trembled.

Her whole life… had been a lie.

She had been manipulated, by the Spirit King… and by the one she considered family.

Pain. That was all she could feel.

Why her? Why had this happened to her? What had she done to deserve any of it?

Her aunt Jeneva, murdered, just to give her "purpose."

Atticus, pushed away, all because of a false emotion.

It had all been Lumindra.

It had all been him, the Spirit King.

The spirit fucking king.

Zoey wiped her face with her sleeve, breathing hard. But nothing, nothing, could calm the raging storm inside her.

She remembered her grandmother's words again. Slowly, the anguish inside her transformed… into rage.

She turned to Lumindra, voice trembling.

"If you were the one keeping me trapped in that dream world… then how did I escape?"

She let out a shaky sigh. "Because I want to help you." _{fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm}