The Price for a New Life part 2

"You were created with a unique Chaotical Core, the Endless Abyssal Crystal, yet the envy of the Universe destroyed that precious heavenly treasure... I cannot grant you a new core because the Endless Abyssal Crystal is still there, dormant and waiting for the opportunity to reform... so I will simply give it a little push, granting you the mystical properties of the earth element, one of the basic elements in the Universe the one who has nurtured and welcomed you all these years."

Suddenly, a golden orb appeared in the sky and began to fall like a meteor. The young man's eyes trembled in the face of such a spectacle, but nothing could stop that object, which fell precisely over his heart in a few moments. For some strange reason, the emerald cocoon remained intact, as if its existence was just an illusion.

Initially, Atlas didn't feel anything but soon felt something crawling toward his chest from all over his body. It didn't hurt at the start, but at some point, he felt his skin burn, his bones crack, and his organs shake.

It was a nightmare that Atlas had never felt before, at least for what he could remember.

"Hold on... Atlas... you can't let those fake sensations rule over you..."

The young man didn't know why he was calling them fake. In fact, they were a brutal reality.

"Just a little more..."

Atlas would have shouted out loud, yet he couldn't do that even if he wanted to.

The young man suffered the unimaginable, but after a couple of minutes, everything ended, giving him a moment of respite.

"Good... everything is once again how it should be..."

Nihilir way of speaking and usage of words was weird, yet Atlas didn't care at all about them at the moment.

"I can grant you a gift, one worthy of my name. The earth nurtured you, but it was that old, worn-out pickaxe that led and accompanied you on your travels. Your bond generated something unique that should not exist in this world, so how can I ignore its plea, especially when even your luck had prepared you for this day?"

Atlas was oblivious to what Nihilir was alluding to, but suddenly, he saw the space bag soar above him.

The small bag contained all the objects precious to him, so when he saw the object rip into small parts, his heart faltered.

He wanted to scream, but it was all in vain...

The objects inside appeared out of nowhere and began to swirl around his faithful companion, who was strangely shrouded in a faint gray cloud.

Only at that moment did the young man realize that this loyal companion had been wounded in the last battle.

The tip, once sharp as the tooth of a fierce dragon, was now splintered. The handle, created from common wood, had snapped in two.

Astra, his faithful companion, had fallen the instant the stone, which enclosed Nihilir's consciousness, broke.

How could Atlas remain impassive seeing his companion in such a horrible condition?

'Save him...'

These words came spontaneously out of his mind like a thunderous cry, instantly chasing away the grayish cloud.

"Of course... I will grant your companion a new life... a life comparable to the best celestial stars in the Universe..."

"A branch of the sacred trees of Vurium perfect for holding up the mower of the gods... Give it sturdiness."

The handle of the old rusty shovel broke off and levitated just below the head of the pickaxe, now broken in two. The fragments of the pick handle dissolved into tiny particles and assaulted the new handle as if the soul of the pickaxe was trying to possess the sacred wood.

"Scale of the Eternal Dragon... insatiable devourer of all. Give it the power of growth. If fed properly, its power will increase."

The patina that covered the shovel's flat iron melted away, revealing the beautiful dragon scale hidden beneath it.

The object glowed like an indestructible precious gem, but under Nihilir's almighty order, it wrapped itself around the metal part of the pickaxe, mixing with the old, worn-out iron.

No fire was present, but under the young man's incredulous eyes, the metal and flake mixed like two liquids, transforming into new and unique material, to say the least.

The shape was identical to that of Astra, but the metal was not gray but rather a dull black with some imperfections similar to bright green veins.

"Stone of Wonders... Cold as ice, but garnished with the seeds of knowledge... Give it the magical power to deafen what had been lost..."

The shovel vanished, and what followed was the small black rock covered with microscopic golden crystals.

This levitated between the top of the handle and the metal head and attached the two pieces perfectly.

The rock looked alive. In particular, the surface swayed like a stormy sea.

It took a few seconds for it to subside and show what its most distinctive mark was.

A small symbol identical to the one Atlas had on the palm of his right hand, a four-leaf clover.

The sight had been incredible, but it had not ended there.

In fact, the small multicolored gem mowed the air by embedding itself precisely at the bottom of the handle, where a thin metal ring stood.

The gem pierced the handle right at the middle of the ring, so deep its shining faces could be seen on both sides.

"Crystalline Elemental Essence... what immense primordial power... who knows what wonders it will bestow on your little friend."

Even Nihilir seemed oblivious to the outcome.

"Mmm... well... A weapon worthy of my precious creation. It seems that you can feed this little fellow weapons and fragments of weapons. Furthermore, this greedy thing has a small chance of inheriting the Chaos Runes from its food. It's not bad at all... unfortunately, its potential is limited since it's bound to you."

Nihilir explained Astra's new abilities a little bit, but a few items were still hanging in the air, including the ring, potions, the Chaos Stones, and some apples and eggs.

They might have seemed like insignificant items, but subconsciously, the young man did not want to lose those treasures.

Clearly, Nihilir sensed his thoughts and couldn't help but laugh: "Hehe... after all you've witnessed... you're worried about losing a ring and food?"

'From my point of view, they are still good items ...' Atlas replied, embarrassed.

"Hehe... indeed, they are not common objects. Hmm... Best not to disturb the balance any more than we already have. Such being the case, let me also give you this little thing back, but in a slightly better form... Nihiste."

Suddenly, the fragments of the dimensional bag moved in unison and attached to the young man's left pinky as if forming a thin tattoo.

Soon after, the objects suspended in the air vanished within the dimensional space recreated inside Nihiste, and the voice of Nihilir resounded again much fainter as if from somewhere far away.

"Our time is running out... but you deserve my powers more than anyone else..."

Atlas thought he was finally free, yet the surprises continued.

"I grant you the Obsidian Eyes... you will see what is hidden from others...with a single glance. You will understand the true value and power of the Universe and its inexplicable secrets. You may look at the world and easily grasp its shape and true essence."

The young man's eyes blazed like two flaming suns striking his mind with pain beyond inhuman, but strangely, it only blinded him temporarily.

The desperate cries did not come out in time, and Nihilir spoke again:

"And last, the Soulis of Nihilum... a way to interact with the world that only I hold... There will be no boundary between you and the creatures of this Universe..."

More pain assaulted his head, more specifically, his brain. Luckily, Atlas was already unconsciously devastated by the immense torment…