Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 942

"You’re here."

The man’s voice sounded gentle, like ripples in a lake. But a shudder spread across Jezeneth’s body as she heard it.

Her expression remained serious as she bowed lower.

"Yes. You called."

A brief silence gripped the space as the man simply stared at Jezeneth, his small smile unmoving.

He tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Hmm, that’s correct. I called."

His steps echoed across the space as he continued descending the flight of stairs, unhurried.

"Jezeneth."

The atmosphere turned heavier.

Jezeneth’s eyes sharpened, and she subtly clenched her fists.

"Yes."

"Do you know why plants grow as they do?" he asked. His tone sounded more curious than reprimanding. He continued without waiting for a response.

"…Why some twist toward the sun, while others crawl across the earth, seeking darkness?"

He brought out a dead leaf from his sleeve with a deft motion.

"It is not their will that shapes them, but the hand that tends to them. A gardener." He glanced at her then, his crimson eyes as sharp as razors.

"They bend to care, to patience, to guidance. With time, a gardener can make them bloom in ways nature never intended. Perfect symmetry, unnatural strength, an unyielding beauty that defies their wild origins. But sentient beings—"

He reached the bottom of the stairs, standing just a few meters away from her, his presence suddenly more suffocating, like vines threatening to close in around her.

"They are not so easily shaped."

He crushed the dead leaf in his hands, its form turning into small crumbs that scattered in the air.

"Jezeneth. Even the wildest trees can be pruned, given enough time and effort." He turned his gaze back to her, as though she were property.

"And I will give you that time."

"Come."

Jezeneth’s gaze trembled. She took a second to gather her composure, but she knew she couldn’t waste any more time. _{freēwēbηovel.c૦m}

She rose from her kneeling position, and as she was about to move, she froze as the man’s voice reverberated once more.

"Crawl."

Jezeneth’s eyes shot up to meet his, causing her whole body to freeze. He had a smile on his face, but his crimson eyes did not smile. They looked like twin infernos that pierced through her whole being.

Jezeneth gritted her teeth before lowering herself to the ground. She got on all fours and started crawling. Her whole existence screamed in defiance. It was humiliating.

But she held it in. With gritted teeth, she reached directly in front of the man and turned her head up to look at him.