Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 725

Chapter 725 Stand A Chance

Avalon's eyes widened in shock, his intense gaze locking onto Atticus. The words hit him like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, he said nothing, just stared.

His lips parted as if to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, he turned to the side, his face twisted in pain.

Atticus continued. "The rest of us were away, but you were here in Sector 3. You were right here, and yet you weren't able to stop anything. If it wasn't for me, you would've lost your wife too."

The air around them grew scorching hot. Avalon's fire element spiked dangerously, the molecules in the air reacting to his unrestrained emotions.

His fiery aura flared as he turned sharply to face Atticus, his hands trembling, blood dripping from his clenched fists.

"You—" Avalon began, his voice shaking with fury.

But Atticus didn't let him finish. "Am I wrong?" he asked calmly.

Avalon's breath hitched. His intense gaze bore into Atticus, but after a few long, agonizing seconds, his fists loosened.

He took a shaky breath, his eyes closing as he tried to steady himself. The fire in the air began to dim, though the tension between them remained thick.

"No… you're right," Avalon said, his voice breaking as he admitted what had been eating away at him. His face twisted with grief, and a single tear fell from his eye. He wiped it away quickly, but another soon followed.

"I failed."

For the first time since Freya's death, Avalon voiced the guilt that had consumed him. He had been too ashamed to face it, too ashamed to face his family.

But now, with Atticus's blunt words forcing him to confront it, he couldn't deny it anymore.

"I failed," he repeated, his voice cracking.

Avalon turned and began to walk away.

But Atticus wasn't going to let him.

"You're going to do this again?" Atticus's voice stopped him in his tracks. "You're going to shut yourself off from the people who need you? Is that what Grandma would have wanted?"

Avalon froze, his shoulders tensing at the mention of Freya.

"You did the same thing when Uncle Ariel died," Atticus continued. "You became distant, obsessed with capturing those responsible, blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault. And now, you're doing it again."

Avalon's breath became ragged, his fists clenching once more.

"Mom hasn't had a wink of sleep since all of this happened. She almost died, Dad. She needs you, but instead of being there for her, you're blaming yourself for something only one group should be blamed for."

The heat in the air began to dissipate as Avalon's fiery aura weakened, his anger crumbling.

"What happened… it's already happened. You can't change it. But you can make sure it doesn't happen again." Atticus's voice softened.