Atticus opened his eyes to a world of endless darkness.
'This is… the katana's world?'
The darkness receded almost instantly, and he found himself inside an expansive dojo whose walls stretched beyond sight.
'Isn't this…'
Atticus glanced around at once. This was the same dojo he'd entered the first time he stepped into the katana. The place where he had met the Ravenstein elder. Cedric.
'Is he back?'
The thought was snuffed out instantly. Cedric had sacrificed himself to give Atticus the strength to survive. He was gone.
The last time he'd been here had been after countless deaths, after enduring the first art.
Back then, his purpose in this dojo had been peaceful. Now, he wasn't sure the same could be said, especially when he hadn't learned a thing.
Atticus curled his fingers slightly, then paused.
He clenched his fist tighter, staring at it in silence.
