Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 796

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Dinner involved the whole family, along with the three stars.

They were all seated at a long, gleaming table with Avalon at the head. The clatter of utensils filled the room as everyone ate, and though no one spoke, many struggled to stifle their laughter as they watched Atticus and Sirius locked in an intense stare.

Unlike previous dinners, the atmosphere was more relaxed, mostly because Magnus wasn't present during this one. The other tier one paragons were in Sector 3, and he was expected to host them.

Atticus wore a small smile while Sirius maintained a serious expression. They both continued eating, but they never broke eye contact with one another.

"Are you ready for the day after tomorrow, At?" Anastasia finally broke the silence after everyone had finished eating.

"The day after tomorrow?" Atticus looked away from Sirius, turning his attention to Anastasia before asking. His confusion was evident.

Sirius scoffed. "Of course, the training maniac would forget."

Atticus glanced around the table, noticing that everyone was looking at him with a smile. 'Even Dad knows what's going on?'

He was surprised to see Avalon giving him a small smile as well. 'Did I miss something?' Atticus' mind raced as he tried to figure out what he could have possibly overlooked.

He was certain he hadn't forgotten anything important, he'd spent hours planning his next steps today, they was no way he had overlooked anything.

'Are they messing with me?' he wondered, finding it odd that everyone at the table, even the maids standing nearby, seemed to be in on something except him.

But he got his answer in the next instant.

"Your birthday."

Atticus' eyes widened, then he chuckled. Out of everything that had crossed his mind, his birthday hadn't even been a consideration. He had never seen any need to be excited for his birthday.

"Right, it's the day after tomorrow. I'll be 17…" he murmured, and several people at the table shook their heads with amused smiles at his lack of enthusiasm.

"You don't seem happy. What's wrong?" Anastasia asked with a touch of concern.

Atticus forced a smile. "It's nothing, Mom. It just slipped my mind. I'm just surprised it's been 17 years already…"

A flicker of surprise passed over everyone's faces. Already?

But Atticus quickly shook his head, changing the topic. "So what about it? It's going to be the same as usual, right, Mom?"

Anastasia scrutinized him. She and the others had sensed his shift in mood when his birthday was mentioned; it was clear that there was something there that he wasn't saying. But she didn't press him. It was obviously something he wasn't ready to discuss.

She shook her head in response but said nothing. Atticus didn't like that.

"Don't worry, my boy! You're going to love it! I've got everything perfectly planned…"

Atticus turned toward Nathan, who began excitedly listing everything he'd arranged for his birthday. With each word, Atticus' sense of dread only deepened. This wasn't what he wanted.

"A celebration?" he asked.