As the group nodded eagerly, Atticus snapped his finger and they all vanished from the training room, appearing high above the hill. šš£šš²š°ššš§š š§šš.šššŗ
"This is... the elemental sanctums?" Caldor said, looking at the floating elemental fortresses.
If this had been the past, Ravensteins who made it to master+ rank would spend most of their time in the elemental sanctum for the sake of forming a domain and advancing to the grandmaster rank.
But with the advent of the new world, they had been able to mimic the effects of the sanctums in their personal training rooms, hence barring the need to visit the sanctums. But...
"Youāll each train in your respective sanctums. Donāt worry, Iāll guide you all in exactly what to do. Are you ready?"
As they nodded seriously, Atticus waved his arm and teleported them each to their respective sanctums.
"Do you plan on simply watching?" Atticus turned towards Kael in the sky. Since heād already teleported the boy, he didnāt want to leave him behind and had brought him here.
Kael stared at Atticus blankly then nodded. "Iāll train."
As Kael left, Atticus turned his focus on the others.
Unlike what heād done with Anastasia, this was different. She had been able to advance into grandmaster rank due to decades spent at the master+ rank perfecting her powers.
But they had only recently reached the master+ rank, which made their situation more complicated, especially considering the Ravenstein elemental bloodline.
Deepening mastery over the element required forming a connection with the molecules. This was best done by mimicking the emotions that resonate with each element.
This was the process Atticus planned on manipulating and optimizing. And he had done just that.
First, he fed them each lifelike hallucinations to make them experience the emotions that resonate with their elements.
Then he increased the concentration of element molecules around each of them, then manipulated the molecules to form a connection.
As a result, at the end of the day, multiple pillars of light pierced the skies, then unfurled into a dome.
Atticus hovered calmly in the skies, gazing at his work with a calm smile.
āFinally.ā
Now, Aurora, Ember, Nate, and even Caldor had successfully entered into the grandmaster rank. A monumental achievement, given their young ages.
As the lights began to dim, and the domains deactivated, Atticus felt a strong force slam onto his mind.
"W-what?"
He staggered slightly before regaining himself. His guard rose.
āWhat just happened?ā
It felt as though something had just collided with his will.
āAn attack?ā he thought, then shook his head. āNot without my consent.ā
In the next moment, he spread his will around the world to assess and check for any threats, but came up with nothing.
āWhat happened?ā His mind worked quickly. āSomething attacked me.ā
This, he was sure of. And it wasnāt just anything. The force had been such that his will had shaken.
āThe only thing with such power is another god or...ā
Atticus turned his eyes to the sky.
"The plane will," he muttered.
"Atticus!" Aurora screamed. She wrapped herself in flames as she surged towards him.
"Iām a grandmaster!"
She embraced him in a deep hug, not caring about the flames around her. To Atticus, they were barely warm.
"Em, yes. Congratulations."
Calming himself down, he hugged her back and smiled as Aurora pulled back.
"I canāt believe it! I canāt believe it!" She blasted away in a blaze, filling the skies with a sea of flames.
With the new domain came access to more mana and power, and she was clearly intent on trying it out.
"Thank you."
Atticus also hugged Ember, who was calmer than Aurora, but clearly excited.
"No, no. Before that."
"...I powered up Aurora and the others?"
"Yes, exactly. Thatās what caused it," Whisker said, but that only made Atticus frown.
"Mind explaining?"
Whisker let out a sigh.
"Oh, alright. Thereās a boring thing called balance. And itās one of the things the plane will protects."
"Balance...? How does increasing my peopleās power affect that?"
"Beats me." Whisker shrugged. "But itās unfortunately one of the rules of the middleplanes. Thereās a limit on the number of people a god can power up. I think itās a smart rule though, or else some people might end up turning their entire population into perfect soldiers."
"Sounds like an annoying rule to me. So what does this attack mean?"
"Itās a warning. Youāve reached the limits, so itās basically asking you to stop nicely."
"Nicely has nothing to do with what I just felt. But what if I donāt stop? What would happen then?"
"Hmm. From what Iāve heard over the centuries, it will actively try to restore the balance. Itās different for each world, I guess, but expect trials and tribulations. Oh, and lots of deaths and chaos."
A deep frown found its way to Atticusā face.
"They complained that a heavy force is acting on their minds, is this the punishment?"
"Could be. Or, like I said, might be a warning and everything would return back to normal."
"Thereās always something..." Atticus sighed, "Is there no way around it?"
"None that Iāve heard of."
"Thanks for nothing."
"Ungrateful much?" Whisker clicked his tongue and settled back down on his chair. "Now, if youāll excuse me, I have important matters to attend to."
As he began laughing at Ozeroth on the screen, Atticus shook his head and vanished from the room.

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