Chapter 1316: Will Arts

"What do you guys think?" Atticus asked, glancing toward them.

"Sounds like him," Magnus was the one who responded. Aric also nodded, agreeing with him. The others either didn’t care or didn’t want to risk offending someone powerful.

"Ah! Grandpa Magnus. The betrayal stings."

Magnus’ eyes twitched, and Avalon, who hovered beside him, chuckled.

A smile couldn’t help but form on Atticus’ face. Seeing Whisker, who was clearly many times older than Magnus, call him grandpa was hilarious.

"So do you know anything about the school?" Atticus finally asked, interrupting the moment.

Whisker shook his head. "Nothing much. I’ve never attended. But from what I hear, you should expect to meet other new gods."

Atticus furrowed his eyebrows. It was odd.

"I should be the only ascending god for a millennia, right? I should be the only new god."

"You’d be absolutely correct, if only you weren’t absolutely wrong," Whisker said, shaking his head.

"New gods might ascend only every millennia, but in the middle planes, new gods are made far earlier. There are numerous ways to become a god, and the easiest is killing one. In the Verge Wide Game, that kind of case is commonplace."

"So there’ll be other new gods at the school."

"Yeah." Whisker nodded. "But killing a god isn’t easy, of course. You should expect brats of the major factions attending alongside you."

"That makes sense," Atticus muttered. Killing a god didn’t seem like something a normal person could do alone. It made sense that factions would target one just to elevate a chosen candidate.

"It screams politics," Atticus said after a moment.

"Yeah well, welcome to the middle planes."

Atticus sighed. He was already dreading this... school. He could remember his time at the academy on Eldoralth.

Back then, it had been filled with so much nonsense that he was glad it all ended in a year.

Whisker could read Atticus’ mind and only chuckled, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"They’re all centuries old, right?" Atticus asked, and when Whisker nodded, he continued. "Then they should at least have some sense."

Whisker burst into laughter. He wiped the tear at the corner of his eye.

"The Verge is a being who jumps like a little kid at the sight of excitement, and you’re expecting common sense from ordinary gods? Forget it."

Atticus shook his head, sighing.

"I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’d think, son," Avalon chimed in. "No kid likes the thought of going to school. But once they’re there, it’s not as bad as they thought."

He seemed to be talking from experience, and Atticus could only nod. Unfortunately, he had already expected the worst. It was a school for gods. There could only be disaster brewing.

"What information did you bring?" he turned to Whisker and asked.

"It’s actually more of a lesson than anything," Whisker said. "Remember what I said I’d teach you? Well, that’s what I’m here for."

Atticus quickly nodded, and with a glance at the Eldorians, he and Whisker vanished, appearing on his training continent. He had taken the warriors of Kariot with him.

"What can you tell me about Will?" Whisker asked, standing across from Atticus. The warriors of Kariot were farther away.

"It’s an extension of our being."

Whisker waited for more and got nothing. He sighed. "You’ll fail in school."

"I don’t care."

Whisker shook his head. "I’ll just get straight to the point. Now that we’ve left the lower planes, there’s nothing holding you back. I want to teach you about using your Will for more than just clashing and overwhelming your opponent."

Atticus raised an eyebrow.

"Will Arts," Whisker said with a smile. "That’s what I’ll be teaching you."

’Will Art.’ Atticus echoed in his mind. His thoughts flashed to the countless techniques in Ozeroth’s possession.

He had always wondered how the spirit did that with his Will. But with all of his abilities, he had avoided asking.

Whisker could see he had Atticus’ attention. He smiled and raised his arm.

Suddenly, multiple screeches echoed across the space, and Atticus watched as numerous large birds flew toward them from multiple directions.

They reached them in seconds, their large wings kicking up dust. Atticus recognized them, they were among the many magical beasts living on Eldoralth.

They soon landed beside Whisker, bowing their heads like they were greeting their master.

"Neat, right?" Whisker said with a smile. "Well, this is what a Will Art can do."

"I want you to take them like bloodlines, right? Depending on your bloodline, you can do different things. Say your bloodline is the ability to control fire, then you’ll also be able to affect temperature, cause combustion, manipulate heat, pressure, all that."

"Now replace bloodline with your Will concept. My concept is the Untamed Wild. I deal with animals, free, unrestrained, beautiful creatures. And with it, I’m able to use arts relating to that aspect."

Atticus comprehended everything the instant Whisker said it. His gaze pointed at Whisker in acknowledgment of the clear explanation.

"How can I use them?"

"Simple." Whisker smiled. "By willing them to happen."

"With Impose, you bring your Will out to affect the world. Your Will is red flames, so your arts should be focused on that."

"Can it only be that?" Atticus couldn’t help but think of Ozeroth, who literally copied the arts of others with his Omnicognition. It never seemed to matter what his concept was.

"No," Whisker shook his head. "Technically, you should be able to use any art you want. But first, to will them to happen, you need to understand how they’re done. And second, it’s smarter to focus on something that complements your concept. It’s more effective."

Atticus nodded, understanding exactly what he meant.

’This is where Omnicognition will help greatly,’ he realized. With it, he’d be able to understand how the arts worked and copy them.

Now, for the first time, Atticus couldn’t help but smile at the thought of going to school.

The idea of the Will Arts he planned to steal... excited him.