After Atlas fell unconscious, Dune carried him to the beach. They rested there, made a fire, and waited for Atlas to wake up.
Dune stared into the flames, his thoughts drifting to his mother and his twin sisters, Eva and Emma. What were they doing now? Had they escaped the chaos? He hoped they were safe. Glancing at Atlas, who was almost healed already, he marveled at his friend's resilience.
Nely broke the silence, her eyes wide with curiosity. "How is your friend a purple Zeten and this strong? Are you kidding me? This is crazy. It's even crazier that the higher-ups haven't already killed him."
Dune sighed. "Atlas is smart, maybe even smarter than me. He knows how to hide and fight for his goals at the same time."
Atlas had a past that could break even the strongest. Sold by his family at the age of seven, he was taken by warriors from a distant, obscure city far from Fein. There, he was forced to fight for survival every day, a mere child in a brutal world.
He worked as a slave and warrior, battling monsters and often teetering on the brink of starvation. For five relentless years, he endured this torment.
It was during these harsh years that Atlas began to understand his powers. As he gained control over his Neba and Zeten, a fierce determination grew within him. At just twelve years old, he decided to end the torment once and for all.
His retribution was swift and absolute. With a rage fueled by years of suffering, he destroyed the entire city. Buildings crumbled, and every inhabitant, from oppressors to innocents, met their end.
The city, housing between five thousand people, was wiped from existence. They had treated the young Atlas worse than dirt, as a mere slave, not even human. Beaten daily, his spirit was forged in pain.
When he finally unleashed his fury, he spared no one. His green Neba and purple Zeten, even at a mere fraction of their potential, were devastatingly powerful.
After waking up, Atlas looked at Dune and sighed with relief, then glanced at Nely with an expressionless gaze. Dune spoke first, his voice tinged with emotion, "I'm glad you're alive. I thought you died back then."
"I thought that too."
Dune had so much to say to Atlas, but he knew this wasn't the time for it. They had to focus on survival, with many challenges still ahead. Instead, Dune laughed and asked, "So, you were the leader of that little crew, right? Why did you suddenly kill them all?"
Atlas was surprised by Dune's perceptiveness, while Nely hadn't considered it. She turned to Dune, her curiosity piqued. "Yeah, Nely, remember? Seven dead bodies and Atlas. He was probably the leader Jake talked about before."
Atlas coughed and asked, "You met Jake?"
Dune responded, "Met? That bastard almost killed me, and his friend Nate too. We were lucky to survive. Well, they're both dead now. My luck wasn't so bad that time, and I made it out alive."
Atlas smiled wryly. "Oh, or did this girl save you instead?"
Dune didn't take it as an insult. He chuckled and said, "Well, pretty much. If not for Nely, I would probably have died before even leaving the building. I owe her my life."
Nely embarrassed, trying to downplay her role. "Hey, come on, we both did what we could. We had to survive. If not for your plan, I would have died too, you know."
She spoke quickly, nervously, and then a comfortable silence settled over them. They all laughed, the tension dissipating. Atlas smiled, feeling a rare sense of camaraderie.
As the laughter faded, Dune looked at Atlas, his eyes serious. "We need to figure out our next move. We're not out of danger yet."
Atlas nodded, his gaze steady.
Nely glanced between them, sensing the gravity of the moment. "What's the plan then?"
Dune took a deep breath, feeling the weight of their situation. "First, we need to find a safe place to regroup and gather supplies. Then, we can start planning our next steps. We can't afford to stay here long."
Atlas stood up, his movements decisive. "No need for that," he said. Next to him, purple, spiral-like portal appeared, and from it, he retrieved two small bags. These were magical artifacts, capable of storing vast amounts despite their small size, fitting easily into the palm of his hand.
"These belonged to one of my crew members," Atlas explained, "I took them before I killed him. They decided to ambush me when I let my guard down. The battle against the six of them wasn't so hard, they were all weak Zetens."
Hearing this, Nely felt a mix of anger and sadness. Atlas had essentially called her weak, and she couldn't even deny it. Compared to him, she was.
Atlas continued, his tone matter-of-fact. "The real problem was the seventh member, red zeten user Lucas. He was from a different continent, called Sarodenly. He shared some information before he died.
Lucas was from a noble family, probably the son of someone important, maybe even the King of Sarodenly or another high-ranking official. At first, he seemed like a nice guy, but he couldn't deceive me."
He paused, his eyes darkening as he recalled the fight. "Lucas had yellow Neba and red Zeten, and he used many powerful weapons and artifacts. The fight was tough, but I managed to defeat him and take everything he had, including these two bags. They're unaffected by corruption and evil Zeten. So, when they go into my dimension, they remain unchanged."
Dune nodded, understanding the significance. Atlas possessed a unique Zeten ability: he could store things in his own dimension. The only limitation was that he couldn't store living beings. However, he could store the dead, who would come back to life and serve him, marked by purple tattoos and bound to his will.
Anything stored in his dimension would become corrupted by evil purple Zeten, including food, which would turn poisonous. Even Atlas himself would die if he entered his own dimension. These bags, however, remained pure and untainted, a rare find.